If You Wish Upon a Star
by Punzie the Platypus
Summary: When all the Disney Princesses become friends, they and Rapunzel attend Rapunzel's Royal Disney Coronation Ball, but the ten Disney villains are out for revenge, and they're being merciless. This could maybe not be, a happily ever after. God bless you!
1. We're Lonely

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own any of the mentioned films, they all belong to Disney. FYI, since the Prince Charmings do not have real names, I have given Snow White's prince the name of Ferdinand and Cinderella's James. Sorry for me posting the same chapters over and over, I'm new to this. AHH! I hope I get Pocahontas right, I've never watched her movie, we're on a waiting list for it on Netflix which we have been on for _months._**

**In a castle in a country named Corona. . .**

Rapunzel was watching the sky clear up on her balcony one September night. She breathed in and smiled. She was happy. She had been married to the love of her life, Eugene, last spring, she lived in the castle with her parents whom she had been separated from for eighteen years, she was princess of the happiest kingdom ever and she was content, or so she thought. She sighed as she realized something. She was, LONELY. Mama and Father were busy being king and queen, Eugene was practicing to be king, Maximus was getting rid of crime and Pascal was harder to find because he roamed around a lot exploring.

She giggled in reponse to someone's arms wrapping themselves around her waist. "Eugene, that tickled!"

"Sorry, Blondie," he laughed. They just stood there, watching the stars appear when Rapunzel sighed.

"You okay?" he asked.

"No. I don't know why but, I'm lonely," she whispered.

"Why? You've got me and Maximus and Pascal," he started counting off of his fingers when she gave him a look and he stopped.

"Never mind," she said as she slipped out of his reach.

"Hey, want to go horseback riding tomorrow?" Eugene inquired, trying to make her less sad.

"We'll see."

**In a castle off the seashore, there was another balcony.**

Ariel was transfixed by the stars tonight. They were just there, blending into the dark night, but yet sticking out as something special. But then it grew too dark and they melted. She gave a snarl and danced into her room.

"Now, Princess, we've got to get you in your nightgown now, love," Carlotta scolded and then she was met with pieces of clothing flying over the dressing screen. "I AM, Carlotta," came the voice from behind. When she was done, Ariel danced out from behind the screen and leaped onto the bed.

"Princess, don't jump on your bed like that," Carlotta laughed as she finished her task.

"Carlotta, I was thinking-"

"Of course you were."

"Carlotta!" Ariel said as she flopped onto her stomach and held her head in her hands. "Why don't I have a friend?"

"What kind of a question is that? You have Eric and your sea friends and your sisters and Grimsby and," she pointed to herself, "me."

"I mean a _best_ friend, one I can talk to and have fun with," Ariel declared.

"You'll have one soon enough, love," Carlotta said as she prepared to exit the room.

"When, Carlotta, when?"

"Once you set your mind to find one."

Ariel turned to face the balcony and started to think...

**Meanwhile, in a golden castle with a newly required magic mirror. . .**

"Oh, how I've missed the dwarfs!" cried little Snow White. "This castle has everything except, someone to talk to."

"What I am, chopped liver?" a voice came from the wall. Snow White, blanketed in her nightgown, turned and smiled. "Oh, I'm dearly sorry, Magic Mirror. It's just, that, you can only answer questions, not converse."

"Then ask me a question!" he stormed.

Snow White had gotten over his dark disposition and smiled as she recited, "Oh, Magic Mirror, there you stand, will I ever find a best friend?"

"Soon enough, with powers strong, nine best friends shall come along!" he said.

"Oh, do they have names and are they girls or boys and are they fun. . ." she started to ask excitedly.

"All questions must be done in rhyme, when your prince comes, it's sleeping time," The Magic Mirror replied as he turned off.

**This was not a castle, but rather a secluded place in the forest.**

"Grandmother Willow, ever since John has gone back to England, I've had no one to talk to. Father is busy helping the settlers, Nakoma is always busy and Flit and Meeko can't talk back," Pocahontas confided to the old tree.

"You've got me!" the old tree joked. Pocahontas looked down in sadness. "Oh, dear, you'll make friends soon, you've just gotta wish upon a star!" Grandmother Willow smiled.

"How do you do that?" Pocahontas asked, puzzled.

"You just find the biggest star you can find and say, 'Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, get the wish I wish tonight,' and you add your wish."

"I don't think that'll work," she said as she rose.

"Just try it, honey, and your wish will come true," the willow said confidently.

"We'll see," Pocahontas replied and she turned and ran back to camp.

**Meanwhile, in ANOTHER kingdom with ANOTHER balcony. . .**

"Aladdin, do I have many friends?" Jasmine asked as she looked out on the long balcony.

"Of course you do!" he smiled as he leaned against the railing.

"Who?" Jasmine challenged.

"Me and Abu and Genie and. . ."

"I meant best friends who are girls," she interrupted.

"Well, I mean, there's . . too many to count really," said Aladdin.

"It's because I'm a princess! All I had before I met you were Father and the staff and Jafar," they both shuddered, "and stupid suitors to talk to. I have no real best friends to talk to!" She was met by a low growl. "Except you, Rajah," and Rajah wrapped around her legs and purred.

"Hey, would a lonely princess like to go on a carpet ride with a street rat?" asked Aladdin.

"You mean prince, my prince," and they set off on a ride, but even the rushing wind against her face didn't change her thoughts. She didn't have a best friend.

**I hope you liked it, and thanks for reading!**


	2. And So Are We

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own any of these films, they are all Disney's, though I do own one-third of the Tangled DVD and all of The Princess and The Frog. YEEP! I'm happy! I think I did a pretty good job of capturing their personalities. Please review, I like reviews! and cookies for anyone and everyone who read and review!**

******In a majestic castle, sitting on her throne in a grand ballroom...**

There was an elegant wedding anniversary ball in progress, and the happy couples danced about in Princess Cinderella and Prince James' honor. James was off talking to his father, who was beaming with pride, and the Grand Duke was waltzing with Prudence. Cinderella smiled as the two balleted about. She turned back to her throne and sighed. What had she been doing all evening? She had danced and ate and drank, but she had not socialized at all. Being a chamber maid, she had never talked or made friends with dukes and knights and lords and ladies. All she had were...

"Nice ball, eh Cinderelly?" a familiar squeaky voice called. Cinderella stopped thinking and smiled when Jaq, Gus and Mary climbed up onto her throne's armrest.

"It IS a nice ball, Jaq. Reminds me of the one I first danced with James," she said, but then stopped, "only not so magical."

"Why, why not, Cinderelly?" Gus wanted to know.

"I don't know, maybe because I danced with him all evening, just him. I didn't talk to anyone, not even a fellow dancer. Now," she smiled, "he has to interact with other people, noble people, and I just, can't."

"But you have to, you're da pwincess," Mary pointed out.

"I know, but, I don't belong with these people. I want someone to talk to that I can relate to, and have fun with, Drizella and Anastasia would NOT fill that void," Cinderella sighed as she propped her head on her hand and sighed.

**Far away, a long time into the future, there was a certain popular restaurant in New Orleans...**

"I need another order of beignets," called a soft southern voice. Tiana beamed as she surveyed the dining room. She, Tiana, and Naveen, had put together and built the most wonderful and successful restaurant in New Orleans! She danced about in excitement and squealed when a pair of hands slightly touched her sides.

"Lottie! Don't do that! Ya startled me!" Tiana scolded as she noticed her friend.

"Oh, Tia, this restuarant is the bee's knees! It's the most popular restuarant in New Orleans!" giggled Charlotte as she flipped her purse around. "Big Daddy's thinking of 'vesting in it. It'd be like this was part his resturant too, and that automatically means I kinda own it too! Imagine what boys I'll meet if I come here all the time!" squealed Charlotte as she danced circles around Tiana.

"What about Naveen's little brother, Ralphie?" Tiana questioned as she forcefully stopped the hopping-up-and-down Lottie.

"Sugar, he's sweet and all, but a itty bitty boy if you know what I mean," Charlottle lowered her voice down from a yell. She broke from Tiana's grasp as she danced back to the table she and Big Daddy were sharing. "See ya later, Tia!"

Tiana sighed as she turned back to the kitchen. What was she going to do with Charlotte? She was always a bit hyper and crazy about boys, but now Tiana couldn't talk about boys now that she had married Naveen. She loved Lottie with all her heart, but, she needed another friend to talk to.

"One order of beignets, right up!"

**Back in older China, there was a little house that a young couple was visiting...**

Mulan was walking in the garden of her parents house. She and Shang had come back for holiday from the emperor's palace, and she needed a rest. Turns out, she had taken the emperor's proposition after they had gotten married and being a Chinese official did have its ups and downs. Sure, she enjoyed it for the most part, but being the only member of the emperor's council was a lonely job.

She looked around in thought. Mother and Grandmother were busy cooking in the kitchen making dinner, over which Grandmother was extremely happy to make for them, and Father and Shang were conversing in the living room, not that she minded. The cherry blossoms were in bloom and she picked one and inhaled. My, did it smell nice.

She sat on the bench and started twisting her hair. She did this for no reason, she just felt like doing it.

"Hey, baby girl, welcome home!" Mushu said as he climbed the bench and sat on her lap.

"Hi, Mushu," she weakly smiled, which faded quickly.

Mushu put his hand under her chin and pushed it up to his eye level. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know, Mushu! I'm happy to be home but, somehow," she sighed as she searched for words.

"Ya bored?" Mushu guessed.

"No, just, I haven't a friend to talk to. I've always been a tomboy and I don't have any girl friends," Mulan said as she looked at his concerned face.

"Don't you worry, baby girl, things will be alright, you'll make a friend," Mushu said as he smiled. "I promise."

**We're heading back to a castle now, with one that had once looked like a gothic one with gargoyles, but was now a bright and shining palace with decorated angels...**

Belle and Prince Adam, for that was his name, sat by a roaring fire in the parlor. He sat in a large armchair and she sat in a small yet perfectly her size chair. Mrs. Potts bustled about, serving the tea. Chip followed her as he pushed the tea tray about as she refilled the Master's and Belle's teacups. Lumiere was chatting with Babette in a corner, talking about romantic stuff no doubt, Belle giggled as she watched the two. Cogsworth held out a list of duties for the royal couple as he read aloud.

"And then after the luncheon, there is a scheduled appointment at Lady Broske's, followed by..." his accented voice lost the interest of Belle, who sighed and placed her teacup on a side table and looked on into the fire.

Beast, **(as I shall call him, I cannot call him Prince Adam, and Belle just keeps calling him that and he is not offended)**, noticed his wife, and waved off Cogsworth. Cogsworth noticed the Master's gaze, nodded, and rounded up the rest of the servants, and they all exited the room.

"What's wrong, Belle?" the Beast asked gently.

"Oh!" she gasped when she noticed he had noticed her. She then sighed and propped her head on her hand that was on the armrest and turned to him, "Oh, I'm just so BORED of doing all this ruling stuff! Every day, every minute is planned to the last second, every detail!" she sighed. "Sometimes I wish I had a friend to talk to."

"You have friends," Beast replied.

"A friend who's not hired and is a girl that I can talk girly stuff with," Belle frowned.

Realizing she was truly unhappy, Beast stood up, took her hand and led her up the stairs. Belle wondered where he was taking her until they walked out onto the balcony. Sitting her down, Beast walked back into the castle and returned with the Magic Mirror, (the handheld Magic Mirror).

"Here," he gently placed it onto her lap.

She smiled and turned to the mirror. "Show me a best friend that I can call my own." After the last syllable was said, magic lights raced about the mirror as Belle held it tightly. When the lights died down, they both looked onto the face of the mirror.

"It's black," she whispered. "Well, um," Beast mumbled as he tried to think of something.

"There is no best friend in this world for me."

**We're now heading to the LAST Princess, a long lost princess, actually.**

It was a few weeks after Aurora's homecoming. She and Phillip had gotten married immediately which suited them just fine. They settled down in a brand-new castle made specially for them on the line separating the kingdoms of King Hubert and King Stefan. Aurora and Phillip's bedroom had a tiny little balcony hanging on it, and there Aurora stood. Phillip at this point in time was over at Father's castle and the Three Good Fairies were gathering in the garden below the bedroom.

"Look at her, she's postively lonely," Fauna acknowledged the other two fairies.

"How? She doesn't look so," Flora pointed out, but Merryweather shot her down, "Oh, don't try to cover it up! She IS lonely, I've seen that look before."

"When?" Flora and Fauna eagerly said in unison.

"Back in the woodcutter's cottage, she had it all the time. Y'all didn't notice, I guess, but everytime we sent her up with a candle at night, she'd sigh a bit as if she didn't want to go up there," Merryweather explained.

"That's doesn't mean she's lonely," Fauna said.

"What about the way we told her to watch out for strangers, the way she looked out the windows all the time, the way dolls bored her? She needs a friend," Merryweather sighed.

"Oh, the poor dear," Fauna clasped her hands together in worry.

"We've got to do something."


	3. Five Magical Ladies

**DISCLAIMER: I *sob* do not *sob* own *sob* the rights *sobs* to these...MOVIES *sobs extremely hard* Okay, I know this may be hard, but, just try to imagine this in a movie setting, where we flip back and forth and back and forth between characters but they're all doing the same thing. It's either this or 'Jasmine woke up,' 'Snow White woke up,' 'Mulan woke up', so this means when one Princess does something, more than likely, the others are doing the same. When our helpful ladies are talking to ALL OF THEM AT THE SAME TIME, they will talk in bold, but when they're talking to each on INDIVIDUALLY, they wil speak like **this. **Okey-doke.**

On that clear fateful night, where the stars shone brightly, the princesses were all having trouble falling asleep. Whether it was from loneliness, or insomnia and in all their cases, both. Ariel opened her eyes for the upteenth time. Jasmine looked about the room. Tiana pulled the covers off. Rapunzel checked to make sure her prince was asleep. Belle slipped on her slippers. Snow White grabbed a light shawl. Aurora stood up. Cinderella yawned and stretched. Pocahontas walked toward the star lit sky. Mulan sat down. They all sighed. They were located in their respective places, whether it was a balcony or the outside.

The late summer's night was beckoning and they looked up and sighed.

"All these stars shining and all I can think of is myself," Tiana nervously laughed. Aurora got comfortable, wrapping her arms around her legs and swayed back and forth. Jasmine stood up and walked closer to the edge. Belle closed her eyes and whispered to herself:

"Star light," Belle whispered.

"Star bright," Pocahontas remembered from memory.

"First star," Cinderella said softly.

"I see tonight," Aurora crooned lightly.

"I wish," Snow White tenderly smiled.

"I may," Mulan closed her eyes to hold back the tears that were raising dangerously.

"I wish," Rapunzel squeezed her eyes together tightly.

"I might," Tiana murmured.

"Have the wish," Jasmine exclaimed gently.

"I wish tonight," Ariel unknowingly finished.

"I want a friend," Ariel quietly asked.

"Who's kind,"

"Lovely,"

"Good with animals,"

"Has a lovely voice,"

"Who can sing,"

"Dance,"

"Is good at keeping secrets,"

"Has nice hair,"

"and who can make me smile."

She looked right back at the bright shining wishing star, and hoped it heard her wish. They in unison sat down again, squeezed their legs to themselves, and let the tears fall.

"Please, please, please."

Unbeknownst to our sad princesses, in that magic wishing star, one person was working magic.

"Oh, my! Ten new wishes, all at the same time! What a treat!" exclaimed the familiar voice we'd recognize as Fairy Godmother's. She sat in a white glimmering throne in her room with all the magical glitter spread about it. She had not but a magic wand, but she was powerful, in a good way, she wasn't a sorceress; she was a person who liked for wishes to come true.

"Now," she shifted her weight on the chair. "Now, let's see who they're from," and she touched her magic wand to the crystal clear ball sitting on her coffee table to see the people who wished. She was a bit concerned to see in her ball ten unhappy figures. Whether leaning against a balcony railing or holding one's self up on the dewy ground, they all looked quite sad as they leaned into their sleeves and shawls for a solution to their salty tears.

"Oh, my! What happened?" Fairy Godmother exclaimed as she checked the wishes. "How peculiar, they are all wishing for, 'A best friend.'" She frowned as she called,"Flora, Fauna, Merryweather, please come to the magic wishing star!" and with that, the Three Good Fairies appeared.

"This is about Aurora, isn't it?" Flora asked almost matter-of-factly.

"Aurora and ALL the Princesses!" explained Fairy Godmother.

"Oh, dear, what are we to do?" Fauna worried.

"We'll grant their wishes, that's what we'll do!" Merryweather stated.

"I fear we may need help," Fairy Godmother said with concern as she lifted her wand and said,"Bippidi, boppidi, boo!" and when the glitter storm settled, out of the dust came Mama Odie, with Juju riding on her like a scarf.

"Well, how you doin', Lord Mama?" cackled Mama Odie.

"Fairy Godmother," she answered, a bit annoyed. "Mama Odie, we need some assistance. What do you see in that crystal ball?"

"You mighn't forgot sometin', I's a blind lady," Mama Odie said as she waved her finger at Fairy Godmother.

"Well, it's all the Disney Princesses," Fauna explained as she peered in the magic ball. "All the dear girls, weeping over the fact that they don't have someone to talk to. We need to help them with their wishes."

"We need a solution, they all live in different time periods," Flora noted as the magical ladies sat down. Fairy Godmother said the magic words and out of thin air appeared tea and cookies. They all sat about impatiently as they nibbled on cookies and thought about how to do this. Juju moved about the room, curling his body about the book shelves and chairs and tables, to Fairy Godmother's dismay.

"We can't just zap them to a different time period that they're not used to," Fauna said worryingly.

"Most certainly not," Fairy Godmother quickly confirmed. "That would scare the wits of out them."

"Maybe, a portal'll work," Mama Odie smiled as she rubbed her chin. "We'll each 'ppear to seach of 'em, 'splain e'vrythin', and set a time when'll they could meet."

"That's an idea! Gather round, girls," Fairy Godmother instructed as they gathered into a huddle and quickly concocted a plan.

It had been quite the wait for the miserable princesses. They just sat waiting, for something, anything. When nothing happened, they turned to go back to bed when a little bubble appeared out of thin air. Curious, they watched the bubble get bigger and bigger until it popped and out popped out either Mama Odie or Fairy Godmother or The Three Good Fairies.

"Hello, Dear," Fauna smiled as she and the other fairies flew closer to the teen. Tiana was extremely surprised, to say the least. She screamed in horror as she ran back into her bedroom backwards. Racing about, she grabbed 'The Frog Prince' from the overloaded bookshelves and back into the wall.

"I'm warning you, I've got a 134 page book, and it's been proven to smash small amphibans!" Tiana whispered loudly.

The Three Good Fairies had approached the bookworm who covered her mouth in surprise. "I can't believe that worked!" Belle said in a little voice as her hands reached back and grabbed the mirror she and Beast had left on the balcony earlier. She shoved the mirror in front of her to use as a shield.

Pocahontas had watched curiously as the bubble had grown bigger and bigger until it burst with a thunderous pop. She shielded her eyes as she watched a short little woman appear.

"Grandmother Willow, is that you as a human?" Pocahontas wondered as the short lady stood in front of her.

"No, chil', I's Mama Odie, queen of magic in the bayou in New Orleans," Mama Odie babbled.

"Where is New Orleans?" she wondered.

"Eh, a few hundred miles down the Mississipi, give er take."

"Back away, now, I have a frying pan, and I'm not afraid to use it," Rapunzel breathed as she circled the old lady with her trusty cast iron. She looked nervously toward the bed. "Eugene, WAKE UP!" and he answered by turning over in his sleep. Rapunzel resumed her position with the frying pan. She didn't have good experiences with old ladies.

"Don't be afraid, child, I heard your wish and I'm here to help you!" kind Fairy Godmother explained.

"I don't want the wish anymore, just go away," she had been squeezing her eyes and now opened them as she whispered, "Please?"

Mulan watched as out came a old lady with a snake wrapped 'round her neck. She was old and wrinkly and made a funny laughing sound, she could make laughter, that meant she wasn't an ancestor because, they can't laugh. That could only mean one thing...

"A ghost!" Mulan yelled as she hurriedly climbed the cherry tree. She crawled onto a high and sturdy branch and shivered in surprise.

"Honey chil', get down from there! Would you stop tinkin' everythin' be ghosts? I ain't no ghost, though I should be, I be 'undred and niney-seven," Mama Odie chuckled.

"Oh, great, a hundred and ninety seven year old woman who ISN'T A GHOST!" Mulan chuckled and then shouted seriously, "NO!"

"Oh my goodness," Snow White whispered as she turned pale.

"Dear child, don't be alarmed," Fairy Godmother smiled as she walked toward the frightened youth. Snow White had a bad time with an old lady once, and it cost her her life. She was scarred now, so she wasn't too trusting to this one. She tried to scream for help but no sound came out of her throat.

"Cinderella, we're here to help you," Flora smiled as the fairies surrounded the frightened girl.

"I...I.I..I.I," Cinderella thought to herself and then raced back into the castle. The Three Good Fairies looked at each other in a confused manner as they heard sounds of grunting and things moving about.

"Ha!" yelled Cinderella as she swung out at them with a palace broom. "I've had experience with brooms, don't make me use it!"

Jasmine watched with interest as Mama Odie appeared on her balcony. She gasped and put a determined face on as she groaned, "Oh, great, an old hermit made her way into the castle."

"Ho, ho, ho, missy Smartypants!" Mama Odie scolded as she waved a finger in Jasmine's surprised face. "I ain't no hermit! I's here to help you! Now, looks can be deceiving, you of all people should know that!" Mama Odie folded her arms in a cross manner.

"I'm, I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it!" she hastily apologized as she leaned on the railing.

"Oh, dear, who are you?" Aurora wondered as Fairy Godmother appeared in a state of glitter. "Flora, Fauna, Merryweather? Anyone?" she looked out at the yard as she gripped the railing; she held on so tightly that her knuckles began to whiten.

"Dear child, don't worry, I'm work with The Three Good Fairies."

"Oh, you do?" Aurora uncertainly asked. She didn't know if she should trust her or not, she might be another Maleficent.

"I do, child, I do."

"Ursula," the name on her lips that she thought she never would have to say again. She walked slowly backward into her room as the blind lady followed. Ariel looked about, noticed her husband sleeping in bed, and tried waking him up.

"Eric? Eric, wake up!" she persisted to no avail, for she for the first time noticed that Eric was a heavy sleeper. She looked around her for the next possible thing. Ariel knelt down next to the bed and shook the shaggy animal sleeping peacefully on his bed.

"Max, wake up, intruder," she whispered frantically.

"Intruder? Honey, I ain't no 'truder," Mama Odie said as the girl practically shook the dog to death as he managed to open an eye. He yawned and stretched as Ariel bravely called, "Who are you?" Max noticed the bayou woman and growled.

"My name be Mama Odie, and I work wit Lord Mama and da pixies," Mama Odie explained.

"Who?" Ariel wondered.

**"Yet me explain," Mama Odie said to the frightened girls.**

**"Tonight at the wishing star, we received ten wishes from ten girls that were strangely similar," Fairy Godmother explained. **Rapunzel let her frying pan guard down, Snow White stopped looking like she was going to faint, and Aurora let go of the stone railing.

**"Turns out, the ten girls all wished for a best friend," Flora continued. **Tiana let the book fall on the floor, Belle stopped shielding herself with the mirror, and Cinderella put the broom down next to the wall.

**"So, meself, a nice 'ol lady name Fairy Godmother, I's call her Lord Mama, and tree pixies made a plan to 'elp y'all," Mama Odie smiled a toothless smile. **Pocahontas listened intently, Mulan managed to climb down the tree without killing herself, Jasmine looked back at the woman and Ariel calmed down Max.

**"We decided that since there is ten of you, you all should be friends! So, now, listen closely, in three days, **("That's tree moons," Mama Odie explained to Pocahontas)**, a portal, a magic doorway if you will, will open," Fairy Godmother stamped her foot in emphasis.**

**"You shall pass through it and meet each other in another princess' castle, we've chosen a princess named Belle," Merryweather said. **(Belle gave an excited gasp.)

**"At midnight, the 'ortal will 'ppear, and y'all have 'ifteen minutes to pass through it, kay?" Mama Odie asked. **(They all quickly nodded.)

**"You all will have plenty of time to visit. To help you, I grant you a book of fairytales," Fairy Godmother explained as out of thin air, she and all the others cast forth a magical heavy book which lightly fell into their waiting arms. "Inside this book, there is all the fairytales about the girls you will meet, including your own fairytale."**

**"So, read up! You have just three days to catch up on the histories of your new best friends," the Three Good Fairies said in unison and with a swipe of their magic wands, they disappeared. Mama Odie threw a potion on the ground and when the smoke cleared, she was gone. Fairy Godmother smiled and was gone in a blizzard of glitter.**

The girls watched as their respective magicians disappeared and then turned to the book in their hands. They flipped through the pages and began to read. Within seconds, they were enraptured with the thrilling tales of their fellow princesses and their happily ever afters.

Fairy Godmother, Mama Odie and the Three Good Fairies all returned to the chamber inside the wishing star.

"Job well done, ladies," Fauna smiled as she clasped her hands together.

"Indeed," Fairy Godmother watched Juju crawled around her coffee table. "Now, Mama Odie, about your snake?"


	4. Party, Party PARTY! That's a Bit Awkward

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own any of the many, many wonderful films mentioned in the story below, it is owned by Disney and they also kinda own my username, but I don't want to argue about that. At all. He he he. Just so you know, this story will contain as much of the other Disney Princesses as Rapunzel, I just didn't know what category to put it in, anyhoo...**

It twas a grand night of that day that taken far too long to come. The girls, our ever patient princesses, stormed about the castles and houses and camps and whatnot in a most irritated manner. Their princes had been eagerly told about the magical visit and they too were thrilled that the girls could meet and become friends. They, however, were the ones that were most thankful for that evening (twas a Thursday) to arrive, for the princesses talked nonstop about it and the princes for once would like to hear something coming out of their wife's (or girlfriend's, in John Rolfe's case) mouth that didn't have 'best friends' or 'other princesses' in the sentence.

Belle, as hostess, was the most stressed and excited. All week, she had all the servants, including Cogsworth, who was more like a personal assistant, cleaning. With Belle having an eagle eye for decoration, Mrs. Potts decorated the parlor and the living room with the upmost care.

Mrs. Potts, bless her soul, also made all the sweets and goodies for the upcoming party. She had Chip and all of his grumbling brothers and sisters polishing teacups, which had been themselves just a few months ago. Lumiere had replaced all the melting candles in the whole castle with fresh clean ones with good sharp wicks.

With the meeting approaching, Belle had gained a new glow about her, she was so excited about everything. Beast couldn't help but smile everytime he saw her racing about. Beast was going to spend the evening in his office for the girls to have girl time, (after all, dear readers, that is what the main part of the story is about,) but he would want a full report of Belle and everyone, which made Mrs. Potts giggle as she gave the Master a playful punch on the arm.

That afternoon, the final details had been finished and Belle, throughly exhausted, flopped onto her bed. Madame De La Grande Bouche, or just Madame Bouche, set about the wardrobe that looked similiar to what she had looked like for ten years.

"Now, Belle, we must pick out somethin' for you to wear tonight," Madame Bouche said as she pulled out arms full of clothes and hung them on a viewing rack.

"Oh, not now, Madame," Belle groaned as she sat up in bed to see the Madame getting out gloves. "And for heavens' sake, not gloves!"

"Well, what do ya wanna wear?" she inquired.

"Oh, how about my pink dress, or the green one?" Belle groaned as she laid back into bed with a thunk.

"You have dozens of pink and green dresses! Can ya narrow it down?" Madame Bouche smiled as she grabbed the girl's hand and pulled her up.

"Okay, let me think," Belle gave in as she stood up and examined the dresses. With a smile, she pulled out the green one that was one of the dresses she wore when she became friends with the Beast.

"Good, honey, now for accessories," Madame said excitedly as she dove into Belle's jewelry box.

"I don't want accessories! I want to look simple," Belle arched an eyebrow.

"Very well, then, come on, let's get you dressed," Madame said. The two smiled understandingly at each other.

After a quick supper, the dishes were whisked away and Mrs. Potts directed the staff about the cleaning and decorating the table, scolding and pointing out the details needed fixing, leaving Belle and Beast laughing as they walked arm-in-arm out of the dining room. They walked out onto the balcony, awaiting the arriving guests. Belle clutched the book of fairytales to herself as her hungry eyes darted about. Beast laughed to see her this way, she was always so calm and sensible, and it was nice to have her excited.

"Oh, I can't wait! Have you read this yet?" Belle asked as she turned to Beast and shoved the book upon him.

"Yes, yes I have, a bit too much. I have one particular story memorized," Beast smiled as she gazed up at him.

"And which one's that?" she giggled in delight, she of course knew which story he was referring to.

"Ours," he smiled as he wrapped his arms around her. They stood there, watching, waiting, two content people waiting for callers.

Belle's smile faded as she realized something. She quickly wiggled out of his arms and raced to the interior of the castle.

"What are you doing?" Beast asked as he caught her hand and started to drag her back.

"I forgot to tell Mrs. Potts where the placecards are, let go!" Belle squealed as she pushed at his strong hand.

"But, they're here!" Belle's eyes widened as she allowed him to guide her back to the railing. "Where, the placecards?" "No! Your guests!" She put her hands on the railing and while using them as supports, looked around for them.

A bright thin vertical line appeared, the color of shining polished silver. The line slowly stretched into a circle shape and with a powerful _POW_! a wagon bounced out of the portal. Belle squinted as she examined the people coming to the gate. She opened the book and flipped through the pages until she reached a picture, pointed to it and then the couple and shouted, "It's Ariel and Eric!"

Yes, she was right. Ariel giggled as she held the reins to the wagon in one hand and held onto the blue bow attached to her head with the other. She was wearing the dress from when she and Eric had danced together in the town square. She was plainly having a good time, but the same could not be said for Eric. He, for some reason, had let Ariel drive, causing him to realize he should really learn from his mistakes.

Belle's attention was caught as the portal released another couple. This time, they were gliding about on a, Belle wiped her eyes to make sure, flying carpet. The rug zipped back and forth, causing Jasmine to hold onto Aladdin, screaming with delight while doing so.

A ship's horn caused Belle's gaze back to the portal. Out walked Tiana and Naveen, who had come on a steamer ship floating on the bayou in the background. They walked to the gate, Tiana laughing at something Naveen had said, and they pointed out the flying carpet in surprise.

The thunderous sound of a herd came through the portal. Snow White and Ferdinand had ridden on his charming horse, Mulan came ridding in on Khan and Shang on his respective horse, Phillip and Aurora gracely arrived on the back of Samson, and Eugene and Rapunzel were laughing as Maximus passed all the other horses, reaching the gate first, and he trotted about in truimph. Cinderella's pumpkin carriage bounced out of the magic doorway, pulled by almost but not quite identical horses that had been at the beginning of her story, mice.

Belle watched anxiously for the last couple, but was surprised when a handmade canoe emerged instead. Pocahontas leapt out of the carefully carved boat gracefully, pulled the canoe to the side and looked around.

"My goodness," she whispered as she watched all the foreign people go towards the gate. She, unsure of what to do, followed them.

At the gate the princesses gave their prince a quick kiss goodbye, and with a wave of many hands, they lead their separate modes of transpartation back through the portal. With each last prince engulfed, the portal immediately started to dissolve. The girls shielded their eyes as the bright light shone brighter and brighter and with one last _POW_! it disappeared.

Belle smiled happily as she turned and ran down the halls of the West Wing. She raced down the stairs and threw open the large doors and slammed them to Mrs. Potts' surprise.

"Deary, no running and slamming doors!" yelled Mrs. Potts good-naturedly. She turned back to Chip and smiled. "She's so excited."

Chip smiled back as he finished folding a napkin. "She sure is, Mama."

Belle charged through the front yard, the fading sun glistening down as it disappeared behind the clouds. She smiled as she pulled the gates with all her might, causing the large iron pieces to fall back, causing Belle to almost fall down despite her effort to look graceful. Belle gasped as she caught herself, straightened up and gave an uncertain laugh in an effort for the unsaid tenision to break. The reaction, however, even though it wasn't taunting, was cold with a bit of uneasiness thrown in as the princesses nervously leaned back and forth.

"I'm okay," Belle weakly laughed as she motioned with her hand to come on. The ten walked slowly to the house, an awkward silence filled the air along with an occasional who-whoing from an owl that flew about the sky. When they reached the big doors, Belle tugged on them and they fell open with a soft creak. The girls peeked in only to be startled by an eager staff member.

"Eek!" they screeched as Lumiere bounced out of the shadows.

"Hey, it's only Lumiere," Belle softly laughed as the princesses one by one turned to look at her.

"_Bonjour, mon chere_, welcome to The Master's castle. I a-be Lumiere, master candle maker, and star of the expansive palace staff," Lumiere said warmly and sincerely as he bowed to the princesses, causing them to curtesy in response. "Won't you please come to the Master's parlor?" He led them to the living room upon which he personally and gently seated each princess. With one last bow, he whispered in Belle's ear, "Have a good time, Belle."

"Thanks, Lumiere," Belle whispered back gratefully. Her thoughts lingered as he shut the door behind him and the room fell silent, save for the comforting sound of crackling fire logs moving about to get comfortable in the warm dent in the wall. Unfortunately for our beloved princesses, none of them, not even sensible Cinderella and Tiana, had actually thought ahead about the evening. They all had a vision in their heads, thanks to the accurate pictures of their fairy guide books, of hugging each other in greeting and instantly breaking out into light conversation that carried on for hours, filled with understanding nods and infectious laughter, which there was a lack of at this point in time.

Their outfits were something to think about at least. Mulan wore her dark blue dress with a sash that was tied about her waist and her hair fell softly about her shoulders. Belle had put on her green mint gown with high heel matching green shoes with little glittery flowers stitched onto the top of them so the jewels would not fall off. Ariel was wearing her dress that Carlotta had lovingly made for the '...mute ship-wrecked angel.' Pocahontas, do to it being September in Virginia, wore a deer buckskin dress, with long sleeves and a green band fitting comfortably around her neck along with soft moccasins. Tiana wore a stylish evergreen dress that fit snugly about her, along with a hat that was almost like a bonnet that matched her dress. The hardworking mice could pat themselves on their backs for remaking Cinderella's mother's dress. With an eye for detail, they had duplicated it perfectly and she wore it like a lady. Jasmine wore a yellow outfit in similiar style to her other outfits, with orange ribbons along the borders. Aurora had made a purple version of her signature dress to please both Merryweather and Flora. Rapunzel was wearing her pink dress with criss-cross stitching in the back and delightful designs weaving their way throughout the length of the outfit. She, of course, bore no shoes, not that the other princesses minded. Snow White had wore a scarlet dress with pink puffy sleeves and delicate gloves.

They nervously sat about. Minutes ticked by, Aurora and Snow White kept staring at the clock with pained eyes. Rapunzel bit her lip painfully, making it bleed and forcing her to hold her hankerchief to it. Tiana crossed her legs and wrapped her arms around them and started humming. Belle kept saying things like, "Nice weather today, at least here it 'tis," which was met with short responses that immediately made the conversation dead and buried.

Belle really started to think, 'What had I done wrong? I mean, where's the whole, 'We're all best friends?' The magical ladies needed to be a little more specific.' She suddenly had a light bulb moment in which she smiled, stood up, and walked away. The other princesses watched her every move as she slipped out of the door.

"And, that's that," Tiana sighed as her head fell into her propped up hand.

Their curiosity was quenched when Belle came racing in, slamming the door behind her, and kneeled in front of the coffee table. She plopped the book she had been holding onto the wood and eagerly flipped through the pages for the upteenth time. The girls gathered around her, watching over her shoulder in wonder.

"And, there!" Belle smiled as she slammed her finger against a picture and looked about the group. "Did she appear to you too?"

Tiana and Cinderella nodded eagerly and smiled. "Me too!" Belle exclaimed as she turned the pages. "And her, who got her?" Pocahontas, Jasmine, Mulan and Ariel raised their hands. "She kinda creeped me out!" Jasmine smiled as she sat down on the floor.

"She's from my fairytale," Tiana smiled as she clasped her hands and leaned in.

"Who got, 'Fairy Godmother?'" Belle looked around. "I did!" squealed the excitable Rapunzel. "Me too!" Snow White and Aurora exclaimed in unison, causing them all to burst into enormous amounts of giggles. They all stopped at the same time with a few stray chuckles among them. They all smiled at the same time causing more giggles. The ice had officially been broken.


	5. Tea Party

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own any of said movies under a court of law (though we have legally boughten eight of said movies, I haven't seen Pocahontas, waiting on Netflix!) and we need to get Aladdin. Soon. Okay, did anybody near the end of the last chapter think, "Shadadopdowah, shadadopdowah, another awkward moment!" from Julian Smith's videos on YouTube? Because I certainly did. Ha ha ha.**

"...and so Mary and Jack got married and lived happily ever after," Cinderella smiled as she wrapped her hands around one of her crossed knees. All the Disney Princesses were sprawled about the parlor, hanging onto every word that Cinderella uttered. When she finished, they sighed in unison and smiled.

"That was _so sweet_," Tiana carefully balanced her head in her hands and smiled again.

"I LOVE happily ever afters," Snow White said innocently.

"We all do!" Aurora laughed as she stretched and laughed. "Wow, listening to stories makes me tired!"

"I know, laying around and doing nothing is exhausting!" Mulan smiled as she closed her eyes and gave a loud snort. All the girls giggled as they fell back on the sofa and sweetly imitated sleeping as they gave off little delicate snores and awfully loud ones like Mulan and Ariel.

Mrs. Potts peeped through the door and smiled. "Well, if I have a bunch of napping young ladies on me hands, they'll be no people to eat my hard work." With that remark, the girls jumped and, giggling, ran after Belle who raced to the dining room. Mrs. Potts chuckled as she met Cogsworth coming down the stairs.

"What's with all the giggling? and the running? They aren't acting like princesses at 'tall," Cogsworth muttered as he joined Mrs. Potts at the bottom of the mahogany steps. He stuck his hands at the sides of his hips and gave a disapproving frown as the last girl disappeared from sight.

"They're acting like girls, Cogsworth! Let them not have to act like they have to go and make a treaty with another country!" Mrs. Potts lightly scolded the man.

"Who knows? Maybe we will get a treaty out of this!" Cogsworth said matter-of-factly.

"You have no idea where the other princesses are from, do you, Cogsworth?" Mrs. Potts asked suspiciously.

"I do not, but that does not mean they can't act civilized!"

"You don't get out of the castle much, do ya, ya over-grown pocket watch!" Mrs. Potts asked as she flung the kitchen towel she was holding over her shoulder and swiftly walked to the dining room, whistling all the while to block out Cogsworth.

"No, I do not! I stay here where I am needed, you whistling teapot!" Cogsworth raged as she shut the door, leaving him standing in the hall talking to no one. "Poppycock."

Belle excited walked around the table, seeing Mrs. Potts DID have the placecards set, and the exact places she wanted them too! She excitedly pointed out which placecard was for which guest. The girls found their right seats and oh-ed and aw-ed over them. Each placecard not only had the name of the respective princess written on it elegantly, but each was the favorite color of the princess. Belle had read the book too throughly to miss such important details. Ariel's was sea blue, Jasmine's was a baby blue, Tiana's was mint green, Rapunzel's was a dark shade of purple, Snow White's was bright yellow, Aurora's was pink, just plain pink, Cinderella's was a white-ish shade of blue, Pocahontas' was an earthy brown, Mulan's was light pink and Belle's was a golden yellow.

Mrs. Potts came bouncing in followed by little children and bearing a large platter.

"Alright now, Chip, be careful, Brie, no running, and smile a bit now, Marie," Mrs. Potts ordered about cheerfully as she carefully placed elegant purple and gold teacups to the left of each plate. Once she had done so, she placed a box of tea bags in the center of the table and called as she caught all of her brood, "Pick your tea bags while I fetch the hot water."

The girls looked about curiously as Belle eagerly grabbed one and plopped it into her tea cup. She smiled and looked up at the curious faces.

"What? Haven't you had flavored tea bags before?" she wondered when she was then met with shaking heads. "No? Well, let's see," she said as she grabbed the box and picked out the different flavors. "We have mint, apple, cinnamon, peach, green tea, mango, how'd that get in there? Blackberry, lavender? Well, I guess you can have that if you like tea that tastes like soap, lemon, allspice, orange, and..." she grabbed the last one, "apricot!"

"Oh, I'll try blackberry!" Rapunzel said as she took one and passed it to Pocahontas.

"I tried tea, once, it tasted funny," Pocahontas commented as she picked out apple.

"I have to have it with cream and sugar, if not I'll have none of it," Aurora laughed when she pulled out a peach.

"You'll HAVE to try iced tea, I make a mean ice tea!" Tiana exclaimed as she pulled out the mint one.

"You make a cruel iced tea?" Jasmine asked curiously when she dropped the mango tea bag into her cup and passed it to Snow White who picked out a cinnamon and commented, "Oh, I hope you don't!"

"No, no, no. It's just an expression, it means I make very good iced tea!" Tiana explained as Ariel searched through the box and took out a lemon.

"Back home, we just have normal tea," Mulan said as she took a green tea bag, "though I do like green tea."

"That's good! Are Chinese teatimes more formal?" Belle asked.

"Not at our house. I don't know about other people though. Here, Cinderella." "Thanks! Hmm, orange!" Cinderella smiled. "Stepmother and Drizella and Anastasia always had tea in the mornings. It was always so tedious to have to balance three trays on the way up the stairs!"

"I can imagine, it's nice not to have to do it anymore to an ungrateful stepmother, isn't it?" Snow White sighed sweetly.

"Oh, yes! Though, I still can't believe I have all this castle servants to do everything!"

"I didn't at first, but I've gotten used to it. My castle servants are so nice!" Belle laughed. "Mrs. Potts, are you coming?"

"Right here, love!" Mrs. Potts said loudly as she burst through the door and with great ceremony, poured boiling hot water into each cup, curtsied to each girl, who giggled, and bounced back through the doors.

"Does she always act like that?" Jasmine laughed once the lady had left. "Not that I mind it, she's quite fun!"

"Oh, more or less," Belle cheerfully said.

There was beignets and cupcakes and gooseberry pie and cake dotted with candied forget-me-nots and many delicious goodies Mrs. Potts had spent hours preparing. The girls made small chat while they ate, seeing how they couldn't keep a conversation going while eating.

"Man, I wish I could cook like this," Ariel sighed as she added more sugar to her teacup.

"YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO COOK?" Rapunzel, Tiana, Belle, Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora said very loudly.

"That hurt my ears!" Mulan groaned as she rubbed them.

"Sorry, but you don't know how to cook?" Aurora wondered in amazement.

"No, I was a mermaid and I am a princess, I didn't need to know how to cook!" Ariel answered.

"We'll have to teach you!" Tiana said. "It's really not that hard, even NAVEEN can mince," she giggled.

"Well, I'm done," Jasmine smiled as she carefully lay her napkin on the table. The other girls conveyed their thanks and they all laughed and talked on the way back to the parlor "Say, Ariel, what does Sebastian do again?"

"Oh, he has his own concert hall on the beach, it's in an old cave so its dry and wet at the same time," Ariel explained as they all so very ungracefully flopped on the couch.

"Guess who else has his own concert hall? Hook Hand!" Rapunzel giggled as she straightened up.

"Really?" Pocahontas asked. "I enjoyed the music in Europe to a certain extent, what does he play?"

"Piano. He's going to play at my Disney Coronation ball in October," Rapunzel explained.

"Really? I forgot that you are not technically a 'Disney Princess' yet," Tiana smiled as she put the 'Disney Princess' in air quotes, (she wasn't trying to be mean, though).

"Oh, I can't wait. You all are coming, right?" Rapunzel asked cautiously.

"Well, we have to, even though I'm still not sure how that would work..." Belle pondered.

"Well, y'all have to come! I mean, if you don't, it'll be formal and boring," Rapunzel said anxiously.

"Oh, believe me, I'm coming, Aladdin and Eugene should have a fun time, hopefully there won't be things missing at the end of the ball!" laughed Jasmine. When Rapunzel gave her a hurt face, Jasmine quickly said, "I'm only teasing, Punzie!" Rapunzel smiled and nodded.

"Of course we'll come Rapunzel, we wouldn't miss it," Aurora smiled warmly as she patted the girl's back.

"Of course! So, who do you have planning it?" Belle eagerly asked.

"Well, I have a planner, I think, I'll have to check up with him," Rapunzel said slowly.

All the princesses gasped in shock. "Oh, Rapunzel, let us help you! I helped plan a coming back ball before!" Cinderella quickly said.

"Oh, please!"

"We'll help with everything!"

"It's only less than a month away!"

Rapunzel smiled at the amount of help that was offered. "Okay!"

"Okay, what needs to get done?" Snow White asked.

"Well, the clothes, decorations, food, furniture," Rapunzel went down her very long list off of her fingers.

"Rapunzel, see this dress? MICE made it! We can have them do all of our dresses!" Cinderella chatted eagerly.

"My mother is the best dress maker in New Orleans!" Tiana informed them as they all gathered around the coffee table. "She is current with THE latest designs, and if she partners with the mice-" "And not the Three Good Fairies," Aurora added, "-it SHOULD be able for us all to have a new dress in time for the ceremony!"

"I can get Mrs. Potts to cater," Belle declared confidently.

"For several hundred people?" the horrified Rapunzel asked.

"We can hire some help," Belle quickly consoled.

"Yes, yes, yes! Ladies, I know what we're going to do today!" Rapunzel squealed as they all broke into a big group hug. Mrs. Potts peeked though the doors and smiled. Quietly, she closed the doors.


	6. If You Can Dream

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the following movies or their characters: The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Princess and the Frog, Tangled, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Pocahontas, or Mulan, or any movie and their characters that might be mentioned or referenced to. Okay, okay, I have less than a month to get this thing up to speed for her actual coronation. Now, I know it's weird, she's already married and THEN she's getting coronated? Well, the movie did say that they did get married, eventually, what it doesn't imply is that the coronation was before or after their marriage. Doesn't make sense? Didn't think it would...without further ado, another chappie! That I don't like and I'm not too proud of...hope you likey! Oh, and the song is 'If You Can Dream', by eight of the princesses, I just added Tia and Blondie's parts because their movies came about after the song was made. Okay, me, STOP RAMBLING! *clears throat* Thank you.**

"What's happenin', Mama?" Chip asked curiously. The sound of his childish voice caused the plump figure of Mrs. Potts to jump. She had been peeking through the heavy kitchen doors at the princesses when the lad had spoken.

"Goodness, child, what was that?" Mrs. Potts asked nervously.

"What's happening out there, Mama?" the small child said innocently as he clasped his hands behind his back and moved his body back and forth. Mrs. Potts sighed annoyingly at him for being caught and replied, "Nothing." Chip shrugged and went back to his job that was drying the dishes in the dish drainer. As he picked up the towel he had been working with, he picked up a large plate and started wiping at it. "Are you sure, Mama?"

"Yes, dear," Mrs. Potts said in a motherly tone. She patted the boy on the head as she turned to the door. The princesses were rising up from the table as Mrs. Potts came in with an empty tea cart to fill with the dirty dishes. She bustled in and waved her hands at them in good humor.

"Go, on, scoot now! I need's to get this done!" Mrs. Potts smiled as they disappeared behind the large doors. She started clearing away the table as she thought to herself on how the girls were getting along so nicely.

"So, how's it goin'?" Lumiere asked eagerly as he ran out from the kitchen door. "The Master says to give him wittle hints and the ike about what's happening, he's a-bein' curious! What were they talking about?"

"Girly stuff, stuff not to reach the Master's ears," Mrs. Potts said stiffly. The candle shaped man looked at her curiously at her behavior.

"Excuse me, Madam Potts, but say, you are acting quite strange," Lumiere asked concernedly.

"I'm a-just so happy for the girls, they're getting along so nicely and you want in are their conversations?" Mrs. Potts laughed at the man. "Tell the man he can ask his own wife for a summary, besides," she smiled as she pushed the tea cart away, "I've got to go do dishes."

* * *

"Are there any more Disney princesses?" Rapunzel wondered as the girls sat back down in the parlor.

"Well, there are 'princesses', but not official, 'Disney Princesses.' Haven't you ever read the deluxe version of the Brother Grimms Fairytales, with a foreword from Disney?" Tiana asked her.

Rapunzel shook her head no. The rest of the princesses smiled at each other as Belle rose from her seat and went to the bookshelf. The bookshelf was filled with a monsterous amount of books, from novels to poems to short stories and ficlets. From history to romance to how to dance the waltz, the stories in the bookshelf towered over them as Belle stepped onto a moving ladder of some sorts and gracefully flew across to a tall shelf. She fingered the rich leather backs and pulled out a particularly thick one.

"I knew that your stories were kinda familiar," Belle smiled as she flipped the pages. "There are tons of princesses in here, from Giselle and Jane to Esmeralda and Eilonwy!"

"Don't worry, Fairy Godmother loves the book and says everyone is wonderful is real life, she watches their dreams," Cinderella explained.

"Where is it going to be again?" Ariel asked.

"Kensington Palace. Doesn't that sound wonderful?" Rapunzel answered warmly. Belle plopped the volume onto the small lap of Rapunzel. Rapunzel squealed as the heavy weight fell upon her. Belle urged her on as she slowly fingered the book nervously.

The other girls watched with concern as she just sat dawdling with the book. "Go on, open it!" Jasmine urged.

"I'm, I'm scared," Rapunzel whispered hoarsely.

"To open a book?" Aurora asked in awe. Who could be scared to open a book?

"I don't want to make anyone mad by not inviting them, but I don't know who to invite!" Rapunzel swallowed tearfully.

"Eugene might not approve?" Cinderella asked with an arched eyebrow.

Rapunzel looked at her in amazement and nodded.

"Hey, just invite everyone who's not dead or evil and you should be fine," Mulan came up with a solution. "Just tell him you have to. We all need to welcome you into the Disney Family."

"Um, okay," Rapunzel said, almost to comfort herself and say it's okay. "Should I write the invitations by hand?" Tiana smiled as she patted the young girl's hand. "I know a stationer near my house. I can get them to do them."

"If I knew what that is, I'd thank you," Rapunzel giggled.

Pocahontas took the large book off of her lap and searched through it. "There are a lot of other princesses here," she said slowly.

"Yeah, like Giselle and Jane and Meg and Esmeralda," Snow White added eagerly.

"All with happily ever afters," Pocahontas said yet again slowly as she placed it carefully on the coffee table. The other young lasses bit their lips and looked about the room, looking for nothing in particular. They just didn't want to see the pain in Pocahontas' eyes. John Smith or John Rolfe, who was her true love who gave her her happily ever after?

"Who will you go to the ball with?" Rapunzel asked cautiously.

Pocahontas sighed and smiled brightly at the girls cheerfully. "Oh, John Rolfe," she answered.

"Why didn't he drop you off?" Belle inquired curiously.

"He's always so terribly busy in the field all the time*, he sends his regards," Pocahontas explained. "He hopes to settle the States, it's his dream."

"Aww, dreams, the one thing that keeps us going in our darkest hour," Ariel sighed contentedly. She was remembering when Eric had gone on a wedding ship to marry that vile weed Ursula in disguise, and she was not able to do anything about it.

"I know, right?" Tiana said, the word reminding her of how she came to be married to the prince she was married to.

"Such lovely dreams," Cinderella murmured.

As the others sighed happily about their own dreams coming true, those fairytales with happily ever afters, Ariel quietly drifted over to an open window. She leaned against the sill and breathed in a giant refreshing gulp of fresh air. She glanced up at the sky with stars strewn across it and sighed.

"_There is a world where hope, and dreams can last for all time,_" she sang quietly. Her comrades turned to her in surprise as she did a little twirl towards them. "_A wonderous place to go, you'll know it when your heart finds."_

Jasmine smiled and as she rose from her plush seat, she gave a twirl with her hands twirling as well. "_Hearing our song as old as rhyme, hold my hand, we're gonna fly, what a magic ride," _her eyes gave off a twinkle, "_and just a kiss away."_

_"If you can dream," _the two did ballet about the room, _"A wish we're making on a star, is coming true!"_

_"The colors of the wind will lead, my heart right back to you," _Pocahontas joined in slowly.

"_'Cause if you can dream, reflections in a diamond sky,_" Mulan added as she stood up. "_Come shining through." _

Aurora jumped from the couch and gave a dance, "_Romance will alway be so new, and love will save the day-"_

_"If you can dream," _the other girls sang as they stood up.

Rapunzel quietly crooned, "_Surrounded by deceit and lies, when her real self was revealed." _Her confidence grew as her melodious voice grew louder and louder. "_He saved me by surprise, with my tears he was healed."_

_"He was an awful jerk," _Tiana smiled fondly in memory, "_At first he drove me berserk, then we became friends, a new adventure to begin."_

_"Someday my prince will come, it's certain as the sunrise," _Snow White harmonized sweetly.

"_One day the slipper fits, and you see the love in his eyes," _Cinderella laughed as she grabbed Snow's hands and danced with her around the room.

"_It's the tale as old as time, there's no mountain we can't climb," _Belle rang out as she jumped gracefully about the room. "_When you're finally mine, and just a kiss away!"_

_"If you can dream!" _they all sang in chorus. "_A wish we're making on a star, is coming true!"_

_"The colors of the wind will lead, my heart right back to you!"_

_"'Cause if you can dream, reflections in a diamond sky, coming shining through!"_

_"Romance will always be so new!" _sang Tiana as Rapunzel gleefully added, "_And love will save the day, if you can dream."_

_"So the story goes,"_ Ariel twirled about as she hooked hands with Belle, who let out, "_Never die the rose!"_

_"Now that I see the light, one thing on my mind,"_ Rapunzel musically added, and all the girls burst into unison, "_That one special night!"_

_"If you can dream!" _as they sidestepped and leaped, "a _wish we're making on a star, is coming true! The colors of the wind will lead, my heart right back to you! 'Cause if you can dream, reflections in a diamond sky, comes shining through!"_

_"Romance will always be so new!" _Aurora shouted as she flipped over the side of the couch and landed lightly on the soft cushion.

"_And love will save the day," _Snow White smiled.

"_Love will save the day!_" the beautiful princesses echoed.

"_If you can dream," _the girls all jumped onto the cushion in a tired stupor. Ariel stood up straight and sang sweetly, _"You can, dream_," and she quickly fell backwards onto the soft carpet. They all stayed like that for a moment before Rapunzel gave a little infectious giggle, which started them all to make a lovely sound called laughter.

***John Rolfe really traveled to England with Pocahontas and their son Thomas, BUT, Pocahontas died on the way home and he remarried and not exactly happily ever after material, right? So, well, yeah. I hope you liked my rendition of 'If You Can Dream,' I liked it. Please review, Disney Princess hugs for everyone, and for anyone who cares, some Disney Villains shall make an appearance, bwuhahahhahahahahahha! Sorry for the evil laugh, I'm working on mine, hopefully it's improving.**


	7. Arguing Over Invitations of All Things

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own any of the Disney Princess movie rights. Okay, I have some good news and I've got some bad news (well, not so much for you but for me, HORROR!) Okay, good news first? I finally watched Pocahontas on YouTube! YAY! And I even went and watched the song they didn't include in the original movie, 'If I Never Knew You.' They're so cute and I LOVED the song, 'Savages!' That movie pushed me to update this story and so you can thank Pocahontas for being inspirational (not that she wasn't before!) Okay, bad news, I broke the screen on my iPod! HORROR! I'll have to buy a new one because fixing the screen is expensive and it is a pain in the butt to replace the screen, so I'll have to get a new iPod. Sad. Okay, disneyisbeautiful, stop rambling! Please. **

When the Disney Princes arrived to take their lovely gals home, the girls were as tired as could be, but they had had the best of times. Their yawns mixed in with the various conversations they were having as they walked out the door.

Belle helped Pocahontas push her canoe into the portal while the other princes and princesses _whooshed! _back into the portal.

"Belle?" Pocahontas asked the girl. Belle looked at her and nodded.

"Thank you, for, you know, everything," Pocahontas said. Belle smiled and patted the girl's back. They shared a friendly smile before Pocahontas leapt into her canoe. Belle gave a huge heave at the handmade boat, and sent it into the mystic light.

As Pocahontas disappeared, the portal slowly shrank and vanished. Belle hugged her shawl to herself as she closed the gate to the castle. Cogsworth opened the door for her and took her shawl. As she sleepily walked up the massive staircase, Cogsworth called out, "Everything went well, I presume?"

"Oh, it was wonderful!" Belle sighed as she held onto the banister to keep from falling asleep. She sighed to herself as she traced the mahogany wood that shaped the banister. She jutted a piece of wood that was sticking out and gave a little screech.

"Ow!" she said quickly as she stuck her finger into her mouth to relieve the pain. She turned to Cogsworth who was tapping his foot on the floor in disapproval at her behavior.

"What?" Belle asked curiously as she waved her finger around to try to shake the pain off. Her efforts were unsuccessful as she immediately stuck the finger back in her mouth.

"You're sticking your finger in your mouth," Cogsworth answered, unamused. "You are a princess! You shouldn't do that! Go to your room and I'll send Mrs. Potts to bandage it up!" he impatiently ordered.

"Alright, Cogsworth, if it'll make you happy," she giggled as she wrapped her sore finger in her hankerchief and continued up the stairs. "Oh!" she turned to Cogsworth and smiled, "We're going to Cinderella's castle in two days."

Cogsworth looked so surprised that Belle laughed as she ascended the rest of the stairs.

"Oh, Mrs. Potts!" she called. Mrs. Potts appeared out of the dining room entryway and called back at the girl, "Yes?"

Belle giggled slightly as she answered, "Can you get Cogsworth out of his awe-struck stupor?" Mrs. Potts smiled and answered, "Of course, child."

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the lovely land of Corona, our awesome princess and prince consort are home. Eugene gently lifted the sleeping Rapunzel off of Maximus and carried her up the winding stairs to their bedroom. Maximus smiled at the two as a guard took the horse's reins and led him to the stable.

Pascal had been bored all evening, waiting for Rapunzel to come back. She had wanted to go by herself and the protective chameleon had relucantly agreed. While Eugene had spent the evening in the library, Pascal had paced about their bedroom. He had his own little room set up in a large shelf in the huge bookcase. The room was big enough that he couldn't see their bed but he was able to feel protective of Rapunzel from his little nook.

He had tried to read a book from the bookshelf but he instead was able to bruise himself when he tried to get the book down. He had paw-painted all over a canvas and succeeded in getting paint all over the floor of the bathroom off the bedroom when he went to wash his paws.

He had absentmindedly eaten a strawberry and counted the squares on his little quilt. 'Thirty-six,' he repeated to himself. 'I have counted the thirty-six squares on my quilt thirty-six times.' He groaned and turned over on his bed. As he lay on his back, he stared up at the ceiling and blinked. 'This is boring,' he thought to himself. He sighed and turned himself over in time to see the bedroom door open and Eugene, carrying a snoozing Rapunzel, walk carefully into the room and he set her on the bed. Pascal excitedly jumped down and scooted over to the night table where Eugene lit the lamp.

"She sure is tired," Eugene smiled at Pascal, who smiled back. They both watched her stir happily in her sleep.

"Come on, buddy," Eugene said, as he scratched the top of the chameleon's head. "Bed." Pascal nodded and with one last look at the cute brunette, crawled down the legs of the table and walked over to his bed, out of sight.

Eugene smiled to himself as he watched her a bit longer before he turned and walked to the balcony connected to their bedroom. He folded his arms and rested them on the railing.

Rapunzel sensed that he had left and she gave a little yawn. She slowly straightened up and stretched. She looked around for Eugene and noticed him over by the balcony. Excited, she scooted off the bed and joined him. He wrapped one arm around her and she leaned against his shoulder.

"So how'd it go?" he inquired curiously as he gently stroked her brown locks with his fingers.

"Oh, Eugene! We had the best time! First we had an awkward silence in the big parlor which had tons and tons of books and then we all looked at the fairytale book that Fairy Godmother and The Three Good Fairies and Mama Odie had given us and Belle show'd everyone her copy and then we told stories and had tea and there was so many kinds of tea to choose from and then we talked and talked and talked and broke out into song and choregraphy and then-wait!" She stopped for a moment to look up at his face. "I'm rambling again, aren't I?"

"Yeah, but it's cute," he ruffled her hair up good-naturedly. "What'd you talk about?"

"Oh, girly things and animals that we love and you guys and the coronation ball." She mumbled that last part a bit.

"What was that?"

"And the coronation ball," Rapunzel repeated. "They wanted to help plan it so we're meeting again at Cinderella's castle in two days."

"Cool," Eugene smiled. "You know, we'll have to make a guest list soon."

"I know a few people to invite," Rapunzel said cautiously.

"Who?"

"The other princesses and their princes," Rapunzel said nervously as she twisted her fingers in the lace hanging around the bodice of her dress.

"Okay, that'll be fine," he answered.

"And..." she whispered to herself, "Practically every other Disney person and animal."

"What was that?" he wondered. Rapunzel gave a sigh when she realized that he had heard her mumble. She sighed and looked back up at his face and said slowly, "And every good Disney person and creature?"

He stared at her for a moment before his mouth dropped open in absolute surprise. Rapunzel quickly held out her hands in protest.

"Please don't freak out!" she implored hurriedly. The panicky tones in his throat were coming close to being released as he leaned against the balcony railing. He heaved a bit as Rapunzel gave him a look, a look he had seen twice before. There was that one time when she revealed to him that her obscenely long hair was also magical and the time that she had told him that she was the lost princess. That last time he had fainted.

"Ohh," he was able to make out, "I'm-not-freaking-out-are-you-freaking-out-no-I'm-just-very-interested-in-the-fact-you've-invited-several-hundred-people-and-who-knows-who-to-the-biggest-ball-of-our-lives-and-didn't-even-tell-me-beforehand-when-exactly-did-you-invite-them?" he finished weakly as he bit his fingernail to control himself.

"Okay, okay, first of all, it just kinda came about, second, I didn't technically invite them yet," Rapunzel tried to reassure him.

Eugene exhaled in relief and straightened up. "Well, good then. They're not coming." He walked back to their bedroom leaving a stunned Rapunzel with an astonished look on her face.

"What?" Rapunzel asked as she marched back right behind her husband.

"That's right, just your princess friends and their husbands," he explained. He crossed the room to the writing desk and handed her some writing supplies. "Here's your pen, here's your paper. You write your invitations, we get this ball over with and _voila_! We all go back to our normal lives!" He smiled as he crossed his arms.

Rapunzel dumped the paper and pen he had shoved at her and got in his face. He would have thought her adorable when she was angry with her little button nose wrinkled up except now she was angry at him. She breathed heavily as she stated firmly, "What is wrong with you? You are acting like Flynn Rider, Eugene Fitzherbert, and I didn't marry Flynn Rider! It's my ball and I want to invite all the Disney characters! Find your humanity! Why don't you want to invite them?"

Eugene opened and closed his mouth several times before he just shrugged and said, "Never mind, just invite whoever the heck you want." He kicked at a stool as he walked to their bed and stubbed his toes, causing him to grimace and kick the bed. He sat down and ran his hands through his hair and sighed.

A knock came from the vicinity of the door. Rapunzel sighed and crossed the room and opened the door a pinch.

"Excuse me, your majesty, is anything wrong here?" a guard asked her. Rapunzel glanced back at her sullen husband and shook her head. The guard bowed and walked out of sight. Rapunzel closed the door and leaned against in, causing her to slip gently to the floor. She folded her arms and watched her husband's face.

'Why doesn't he want to invite them?'the ex-lost princess thought to herself. 'I mean, he'd get along with them, right?' A sudden look came across her face as she looked at him again. 'He thinks that they wouldn't like him.'She got up and sat down next to him using her arms as supports on the bed.

"Okay, we can't act like this forever," she said. She didn't say it to his face, causing him to look back at her. "Is it because you feel that no one would look past your past?" He gave her a sad look and looked back at the balcony.

"Hey, we've gone over this before. People will look over your past. Take the Pub Thugs for example. They sure have a vicious and off-putting demeanor, but beyond that, you know they're made out of jelly," she smiled. When he didn't respond, she sighed and said, "Take me. Who would have thought that the lost princess was a girl who had lived away from people for several years with an outrageous amount of hair that spent time candlemaking and playing hide and seek with a chameleon? But, people were willing to accept me for who I am, just like they do with you."

"Yeah, but you're a princess," he looked back at her. "And beautiful too."

"Hey, whatever happened to your super-human good looks?" She grinned, causing him to force out a little chuckle.

Rapunzel took his hand in hers and looked into his amber eyes and said sincerely, "_I _was able to look past your past and see the person you are now. That's coming from a girl who feared men that look even slightly evil. You know what I mean?" She leaned against his shoulder and smiled. He gave her a heartfelt smile and said quietly, "I'm starting to." He planted a gentle kiss on her hair and she closed her eyes and giggled.

"You know what? I'll even help write those invitations," he continued. She lifted up her head and cocked it to one side as she giggled and said, "You can't, they're getting done at the stationer's."

"What's that?" Eugene asked curiously.

"I have no idea," she replied and they both gave a little laugh.

**Cliffhanger, hanging from a cliff! And that's why he's called Cliffhanger! No, actually, not too much of a cliffhanger, I just felt like saying that. **


	8. EVIL VILLAINS! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT, I repeat, do NOT own any of the Disney movies mentioned in this story nor the characters. Note to PirateLover: Yes, I knew she had a daughter but I didn't know how to incorporate her into this story BUT, because you want me to, I shall! I have an idea of how to introduce Ariel being pregnant but, sadly, it shall have to come in later chapters. Now, now, be patient, I have a feeling that this shall be a very LONG story, but, even though you see chapters that don't have her in them, rest assured, she SHALL MAKE IT IN! Oh, and the Queen and King from Tangled are named William and Catherine.**

The day after the next came along quite quickly, and the princesses excitedly gathered at Cinderella's castle. This time, however, they were not alone. Practically each girl had dragged along a friend or relative who was patiently helping by carrying material.

Once Cinderella welcomed them all in, the ten princesses chased each other up the long staircase up to the royal sewing room where there was the best dressmakers in the land. In the large room, there was several manequins in a corner with a wardrobe full of dresses waiting to be basted or tried on. There was three large sewing machines, all lined up in a row with elegant swirls of black laced into the legs. The large table in the middle was covered in rolls and rolls of cloth of all sorts with baskets of thread and needles. Pins were haphazardly thrown on the table along with the floor, which housed several comfy chairs.

In a corner was the helpers for this dress making mission. There was the royal dressmaker, a slender young lady with lovely brown hair dripping down her shoulders, the cold and stern castle tailor who thought the whole business was frivolous, and one, two, three servant girls who were quite handy with a needle and fetching drinks and picking up pins.

"Are they here yet?" a servant asked the royal tailor who was carefully cleaning his spectacles.

"I don't know, Greta, nor do I care if they show up or not," said the man crisply. His stern response was followed by loud laughing and running as the group turned to the grand doors. The doors flew open quickly with the help of the royal guards in their blue uniforms and in burst the princesses, falling and tripping over each other and ultimately falling in a heap. The cloth they had been carrying and the patterns fell everywhere in their haste.

"Oh, hello Leonardo!" Cinderella giggled as she straightened up and dusted herself up. He coldly did a little wave with his wrinkly hand as the hired girls immediately helped up the princesses. Mary and the other girl mice jumped up and down excitedly, "You're here, Cinderelly, you're here!"

Charlotte was currently trudging up the grand staircase with a basket on one arm and a ruler in her hand.

"Tia! Tia, honey, wait, I, I," she sighed and fell on a step and laid down. "I need a break."

"Hello, Charlotte, is it?" a voice asked her. Charlotte saw the face of the voice and said, "Who are you?"

"I am Nakoma, Pocahontas' friend," Nakoma explained. "Need a little help?"

"Well," Charlotte sat up and looked around and gave a little sheepish grin, "Yes!"

Nakoma and Charlotte were gathering up the fallen materials when a thick mob of people ran pass them.

"Who was that?" Charlotte wondered aloud.

"I think Ariel's sisters, with legs, come on!" Nakoma grabbed the ruler and caught Charlotte's arm and tugged. They managed to run up the rest of the way; unfortunately for them, they ran right into a pile of dress stuff and skirts.

"Ouch!"

"Goodness, careful!"

"These legs need getting used to!"

"Snow White, you're on top of me!"

The older women who were slower and more patient than their young daughters and proteges slowly opened the door and sighed.

"Mulan, what happened?" Li frowned as she stooped to grab a piece of blue lace from being torn.

"Well, you see, Mama, we kind of, well," Mulan gave a little giggle and looked around with a sheepish smile.

"Ran into each other?" Tiana gave a little smile and a shrug.

"So, you just all ran into each other?" Queen Leah held out her hands, which had baskets hanging on them like coats on a coat hanger, in wonderment.

"It looks that way," Queen Catherine smiled as she tugged a tape measure off out of Jasmine and Rapunzel's hair.

"Alright, let's tidy up a bit now," Mrs. Potts bustled about as she helped up the girls and gathered pins that had fallen from the baskets.

The large group of ladies, mice and Leonardo fell to work in making the ten dresses for the ball. What the content circle of sewing women didn't know was that they were being _watched._

* * *

In the dark corner of the earth, where sunlight never touched, there was a settlement for all of the cartoon characters that were evil. Each castle was filled to the top with malicious people, and there was one in particular that was covered with smoke and pure blackness.

In its cold and dark halls, it was full of eerie noises and smells and it was illuminated with a bright yet dreary green. In the main living room, there was villains, all who had been foiled by princes and princesses. Playing cards in the middle of the room, they cheated and yelled at each other.

Gothel had just recently been admitted to this dark and dreary castle and was beside herself. The tower and practically every other place she had lived had been clean, cleaner than a hospital even, and now she was living in filth, disgusting horrible filth, and she wanted out SO bad.

She scanned the room and slouched lower in her chair, pushing back her black bouncy curls. She was reading a book, a most horrible book considering the place she was currently residing, 'The Tales of Flynnigan Rider'.

"'And so with that, Flynnigan rescued the girl and managed to escape from the horrible minions of the dragon and they ran off to Flynnigan's castle, where they lived, happily ever after,'" she spat out sarcastically. She threw the book across the floor only to have it be stepped on by a hefty man.

"Say, Gothel, you didn't tell me that you liked _reading_," Gaston said slowly as he flipped through the pages. "Humph, no pictures!" Gothel rolled her eyes and sighed. At least her evil quest was not filled with dope-heads, unless you count the Stabbington Brothers.

"Say, Gothel, you've never told me your age," Gaston continued as he hovered over her chair.

"I'm way out of your league," Gothel growled, annoyed.

"Try me," he challenged.

"Four hundred," she said slowly, stressing each and every syllable. He gasped a little but quickly regained his composure.

"We COULD make it work," he said quietly, his eyebrows going up and down in hope for her attention. His attempt, however, was quickly thrown aside as Gothel leaped up from the chair and grabbed his collar. He breathed heavily as she enunciated slowly, "Gaston-stop-it-with-the-mumbling-I-HATE-MUMBLING!" This last part she yelled and with that she tossed him aside. He crashed into the bookcase full of 'happily ever after' books, causing it to fall over and land on his nose. Their antics caught the attention of the card-game-cheating scroundels, Ursula, Dr. Facilier, Lady Tremaine, Shan Yu and Governor Ratcliffe.

"If you're going to do that, do take it outside," Jafar sighed from the doorway.

"I can't take it any longer! We've spent months here, listening to each mope and groan and sulk while they go and live their 'happily ever afters'," Gothel spat. "I've had enough!" she pounded her fists against the chair in frustration. She took a deep breath and looked up, "Jafar, how on earth do we get out of here?"

"Well," he carefully fingered his cherished staff, "that's why I came up here. Maleficent might have found a way." The second he finished he was nearly trampled as the villains ran past him and down the hall to the room where Maleficent had used as her laboratory.

Her lab was the same ominous green as the hallway with potions and such cluttering the shelves. Maleficent and the Evil Queen gathered about a large book which had signs of old age by the way the pages were falling out.

"Okay, what've you got?" Ratcliffe demanded as he pounded his fist on the table. Maleficent smiled evilly as she looked up and saw their faces.

"The Evil Queen and I have thought of a plan. What do you see here?" she asked. The eight faces turned to her staff in which they watched curiously. In the green lobe a picture became clear. In it, there was girls, lots of them, with sewing supplies gathered around them. Each villain took this opportunity to point out their respective downfall.

"How are they able to meet?" Ursula said angrily.

"The Three Good Fairies," Maleficent spat, "and Mama Odie, and Fairy Godmother too! Now, here's the plan: The only way to get out of here and get our revenge is to capture those 'magical ladies.'"

"We can't," Shan Yu said gruffly.

"How can we capture them if we're stuck up here?" Gaston wondered.

"I still have minions, as stupid as they are, I think they can do the job," Maleficent explained. "I have the slightest amount of magic left, and I'll use it to transport them to Fairy Godmother's house and, voila!" she clapped her hands together loudly, "they'll fairy-nap them!"

"Not following you," Gothel said.

Maleficent sighed and said, "When they're gone, their good will be gone too, allowing us to transport back to earth, but," she held up her finger, "there's a catch."

"What?" Lady Tremaine asked sternly.

"We can only go to one place," Maleficent explained.

"Easy, Corona," Gothel smiled evilly.

"Absurd! Agrabah!" Jafar scowled.

"We shall do it at the Great Wall," Shan Yu said angrily, to which Ratcliffe quickly answered with, "No! America!" Large amounts of yelling insued as the villains started arguing with each other, going so far to start to beat each other up.

"This is going well," the Evil Queen whispered into Maleficent's ear. The villain sighed and fingered her staff impatiently, "Indeed."

* * *

"Oh, Ar-al, that blue lace is va-rry beckonin' on you," Charlotte exclaimed. Ariel was standing on a stool, Leonardo and two of the servant girls draping blue lace all about her. Leonardo was constantly frowning as he took the pins he had sticking out of his mouth and he pinned them here and there. The little mice scurried about as they stuck in pins as well.

"I hope so, this all is so," Ariel bit her lip in search for a word, "awkward. I, uh!" She gasped as a pin accidentally stick her, "learned about a person's privacy."

"Alright, you're done," Leonardo said quietly as he and a servant carefully took the silk off. She wiggled out of it and skipped over to a shelf that had her clothes. She quickly threw on her dress over her corset and bloomers and managed her socks.

"Hey, Tia, did you bring the invitations?" Belle asked her sewing partner. All the mothers were sewing or basting or hemming, for every girl knew how to sew, except the mermaid sisters. They instead helped straighten out all the beads and jewels for the dresses.

"Well, yes," she reached back behind her and pulled out a large box. "UHH!" Tiana grunted, "okay, they're all even addressed." She smiled as she passed it along to Rapunzel.

Upon receiving the box, Rapunzel gave a yelp as it landed in her lap, causing her to fall out of her chair.

"Oh, goodness, are you all right, Rapunzel?" Queen Catherine asked hurriedly as she helped her daughter up. Once Rapunzel was on the chair again and Mulan had handed her the box back gently, Rapunzel nodded and said, "Oh, yes, Mama, I'm fine. Wow," she breathed as she lifted the lid to the box. "How many are there?"

"Over two hundred," Tiana said casually as her needle dipped into her green cloth. Rapunzel smiled and said happily, "I expected three times more! Eugene should be happy to hear about that!"

"He didn't approve?" Fa Li asked curiously.

"No, he didn't," Rapunzel answered sadly.

"Was that why I heard yelling in your room a couple of days ago?" Queen Catherine paused her sewing to look at her daughter.

"Yes, but he's okay with it now!" Rapunzel quickly explained. She eagerly started going through them. She pulled out a couple to look at the names.

"'The Darling Family,' 'The Robinson Family,' 'Emperor Kuzco,' 'Roger and Anita Radcliffe and Pongo and Perditta,'" Rapunzel said aloud.

"Can't have 99 puppies running around," Tiana pointed out.

"Yes, of course," Rapunzel sweetly smiled. "'Quasimodo,' 'Simba and Pride Rock,' I hope he can read English," Rapunzel giggled.

Among the commotion in her lab, Maleficent paid attention to her staff and the picture inside it. Her eyes lit up evilly as she looked around and called out, "Look!" This one word caused Gaston to stop punching the senses out of Ratcliffe and Lady Tremaine and Dr. Facilier from knocking over a table. They all rushed over to her staff, over which Maleficent smiled over sadly.

"Oh, look, a party and we're not invited," Maleficent said in a sarcastic sad voice. "Believe me, it's happened to me, and it's not pleasant."

"Looks like a party for us to crash," Gaston grinned maliciously.

"And," Maleficent continued, " does anyone here have plans on a particular Sunday?" The fiends smiled evilly at each other as Maleficent laughed, "I take that as a no!"

"Where are they having this party?" Gothel quickly asked.

"Corona," Maleficent stretched out the word.

"Yes! WHOO!" Gothel whooped. "I'm going home!"

**Alright, another chappie. I think I'm going to rate this T, you know, from this chapter on. Okay, I'd like to thank all my reviewers!**

**Syrena Ace: Ahh, that first review is always the most exciting and I know, it makes sense for them all to be friends, they are all in products together, they have to be friends!**

**kittens: Thanks for the review! And, yes, it has been updated! **

**Ashlierthw: You honestly don't know how I appreciate all the reviews you've given to this story and all my other stories! Ariel and Rapunzel are two of my absolute favorites! And, yes, you're right about the villains! My poor iPod...and please, you've got to update your story!**

**pickledyam: Thank you for the review and that is one of the most interesting usernames!**

**Disneyholic: I know! I'm introducing them this chapter, and I'm adding them because I'm evil! (And, they're kinda important to the story!)**

**kericobarbossa: Thank you for your kind words and for you R&R this story!**

**xXSangoTsukiyomixX: Thanks for R&R this story!**

**thegirlobsesedwithdisney: That was one of the nicest compliments ever! Thank you!**

**PirateLover: I shall include Melody, don't you worry!**


	9. Preparing and Arriving

**Thank you, God, for everything.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Tangled and OH MY GOSH! RAPUNZEL'S GETTING CORONATED AT KENSINGTON PALACE TODAY! IS ANYONE ELSE BESIDES ME UBBERLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS? And I still need to see if it is on TV or not, maybe Facebook can post it. OH MY GOSH, when I read all y'all's reviews, I gulp. I suddenly just realized that there are HUNDREDS OF DISNEY CHARACTERS, so let me lay down the law so to speak: I'm only doing cartoon characters from the 51 feature animated films, no live characters, no animated characters from live movies, (unless they were already in a feature animated movie), no characters from any cartoon series or sequels or video games (except characters from The Rescuers Down Under, and I'll include the brides of Yao, Ling and Chien Po), and it'll only be the main characters from each film, no guy who sold dates and pistachios in Aladdin, no monkey from the background of The Jungle Book, no zebra from The Lion King, okay? And I'm only doing the ten villains from the princess films to keep the villain count down, okay? **

By Thursday, the twenty ninth of September, the elegant dresses were ready. The tailor and dressmaker and the little mice had stitched and sewed day and night all month to make sure that the gowns were ready in time. The girls popped in for a moment that Thursday to pick up their dresses and to ohh and awe at the others. After that one sewing session, they had given the load of hemming and stitching to Leonardo and the mice and had gone visiting.

They had enjoyed the beach and the depths of Atlantica, survived the market streets of Agrabah, lived the fun life in New Orleans, met the Seven Dwarfs, visited Aurora's childhood cottage, explored native America in canoes (and got quite wet while they were at it), and explored the Great Wall of China. All in all, they had had the best times of their lives and had become even better friends during their escapades.

"Leonardo, they're here! The Princess is having tea with them this second!" Greta hurriedly called as she dusted off the dresses with a rag. Each garment had been carefully supervised by Leonardo's careful eye as they were gently placed on their pedestals. They were crisp, light and horribly clean as Greta screeched at the slightest bit of dust and attacked it with the rag. The mice squealed at her announcement and raced out of the room to see them.

Beads of sweat were steadily trickling down Leonardo's face as his thin boney fingers carefully guided the last stitches in place to Princess Cinderella's silky shawl. With a quick swipe o' hand, he took it off of the sewing machine and draped it around the mannequin.

"There, finally finished," the wrinkles in his face broke as he smiled proudly at his hard work. "Maybe we can finally get some sleep tonight."

The dressmaker, Claire, stormed through the double doors as the guards quickly opened them. (They were getting quite the workout lately.) In her petite hands, she held out a tower of thin little pink boxes with tissue sticking out of them. Her sweaty and panting heavily face said, "Here's the gloves, fresh off the machine. I just got them pressed not more than two minutes ago."

Claire's assistant, Lena, and another servant came bursting in after her with five medium containers each in their trembling arms. They carefully placed them on the sewing table which Leonardo had quickly cleared and they both promptly fell to the ground.

"And their shoes and stockings," Lena panted as she straightened up and placed her hands on her hips and blew out a breath.

Leonardo smiled and threw open the doors to the wardrobe. Inside the large closet there was even more boxes, each colored accordingly and labeled and monogrammed to fit the personality of each princess. He took out a box and opened it carefully and took out a glass rose.

"And accessories," he chuckled as he twirled the rose in the sunlight that was streaming through the windows. Though he'd never admit it, he had rather enjoyed the excitement and adrenaline he had felt when he was told he had to make ten dresses in three weeks and, he had always enjoyed a challenge.

His thoughts were interrupted however, when he heard a knock on the door. He carefully placed the flower back in the tissue and the box in the wardrobe before the impatient princesses burst through the doors and ran up to him excitedly.

"They're done," he waved his hand in the mannequins' direction and a host of gasps bounced off the walls. Cinderella slowly approached them, gently, carefully, as if she would break them if she dared breath wrong.

The dresses displayed were such a sight to behold. Each one, tall, regal, elegant, sophisticated; perfect for a princess.

Ariel's dress was of blue silky cloth underneath a storm of deep blue and light green lace that surrounded the dress. A train of the material swirled about the gown and the bodice sparkled in the light.

Jasmine's dress was not really a dress but an outfit. The top was twisted and fitted in light blue with a thick ribbon over the stomach embedded with beads. Her long blue skirt settled around the floor with another few yards of material tucked around the top of it.

Tiana's dress had a layered mint green bodice with a golden cord tied around the waist and a white flower pinned next to it. Her long skirt, though simple, was long and flowed gracefully around the manequin.

Rapunzel's dress consisted of a sweet baby pink skirt that had a dark purple corset like waist. There was thin pink ribbon threaded through the holes in the corset and the ends of the strip were twisted into an elegant bow. There was pink flaky almost papery material on the top and bottom rounding out the outfit.

Belle's had a brilliant yellow top with gold beads integrated in and the skirt part could take an oratory person's breath away. Yellow silky lace had been twisted and turned into flower shapes as it ultimately built up into a painstakingly time consuming dress.

Snow White had probably the most simplistic of the gowns but it was simple and elegant. A deep, deep blue top was sleeveless and the collar had blue sequins on it. It had a shimmering yellow skirt and a dark red cape draped around the shoulders.

Cinderella had a baby blue dress studded with shining diamonds. The back of the slimming dress was a fold of baby blue cloth stitched in a ruffled way so that it looked like a peacock's proud and showy feathers.

Aurora's dress was exquisite. The pink skirt had flowed about the mane quin just so that the sun shone off it brilliantly. A gold and diamond wreath of carefully blown and shaped glass flowers was buckled around the waist and above that it was layered with pink emeralds and a white filmy cloth was stitched around the collar.

Pocahontas' cotton deep brown dress fit comfortably around the mannequin. The gold karats dotted it like stars in the sky and shone just as magnificently. The trail of scattered nuggets lead up to a collar full of them, and a sleeve made out of beads Pocahontas had made herself.

Mulan's had a stunning skirt that gathered at the legs and grew fuller at the knees. A blue silk cloth was draped and stitched on the waistline and was studded with blue jewels and was tied with a thin red ribbon. There was pink mesh lace that sprang out of the top and a peacock-like cloth finished the back with some more cloth to imitate a small cape.

The looks on their face was that of pure delight. They stood in complete shock before Rapunzel gave a loud squeal.

"They look amazing! How did you do it?" she exclaimed as she ran to her dress and examined it. Each of the other princesses raced to theirs and examined it head to toe in excitement.

"It's a deluxe version of my old dress!" squealed Belle as she delicately touched the silky folds of the skirt.

Mulan, the tomboy of the group, fell in love with her gown. Aurora giggled as she noticed it was pink; Merryweather would be non too pleased. Jasmine squealed in excitement as she danced all around the mannequin.

"I took a few ideas from your other dresses," the old royal tailor explained as he pointed to the boxes laying on the table. "And there is a few more things you must see."

The poor tailor knew not of what had happened. One moment, he was waving towards some nice boxes of accessories and gloves and jewelry, and the next he was flat on the floor being pulled up ungracefully by Greta. He rubbed his head and moaned when he realized that he'd probably get a headache. Greta placed his arm on her shoulder and hoisted him up tall and led him out of the room, the sounds of overly excited girls in their ears.

Each of the girls opened the boxes and almost fainted in excitement. They switched around the boxes to their respective owner and with arms filled high, they managed to get out of the castle undeterred. Their precarious position was quickly relieved as they passed them on to their guards who quickly gasped and rushed the packages to their transportation.

"Oh, I can't wait for the ball!" Rapunzel squealed excitedly as the girls walked slowly down the big stairs. A distinguished guard opened the front door for them and they walked daintily down the path as they followed their respective guards.

"It should be divine, I can't wait!" Aurora squealed along with her. With all this squealing, the girls started to break out into spontaneous amounts of squealing. Each guard helped their royal highnesses up into their rides back home and an Indian brave helped out Pocahontas.

"We'll see y'all at Corona then, Saturday night?" Rapunzel had been sitting side saddle on Maximus and had turned around to peek at the other princesses.

"At around seven, we'll try to get there on time," Snow White said.

"Time to go, girls!" Jasmine smiled and waved goodbye. As the princesses said goodbyes, the portal opened up and one by one they disappeared inside. The clear/foggy mist swallowed them as they were transported to their own worlds.

Maleficent had watched the girls go through the portal and chuckled evilly as she turned to The Evil Queen who was watching them with her.

"Everything is going according to plan," Maleficent smiled. The Evil Queen returned the grin and they both laughed evilly as Cinderella smiled and turned to go inside.

* * *

On that weekend, Rapunzel had barely any time to think. Everything was happening so fast and everything was so exciting. For one thing, she had mildly scolded Eugene for letting Pascal drink coffee, which was bad enough in and of itself but with seven sugars in it! Really? With a shaking-violently-in-excitement chameleon on her shoulder, she darted this way and that down the long hallways of the castle.

Servants had to be carefully dodged for they were everywhere! Several of them were up and down the corridors, scrubbing away at the marble floor with sudsy rags. As Rapunzel nearly tripped over one, she glanced out one of the windows.

Outside, Corona had welcomed fall with open arms. The crisp, cool air was filled with brown leaves. All the tall trees were peppered with green leaves and they were almost completely covered in rich red and dark orange and beige/yellow leaves. Rapunzel and Eugene had made a leaf pile the day before and now the gardeners were hastily raking away the dead leaves.

A giant bonfire was in the corner of the yard which would be covered with flowers once the leaves and rubbish had been burned, and all the gardeners were hurrying about like little ants. Some were trimming the browning hedges and topiaries and others were weeding the giant gardens. New rocks were laid to remake the disheveled path through the flowers and the stone benches were being wiped down. The gardening house that held all of the shovels, rakes and hoes was being painted over with white paint and the grass was being clipped.

Rapunzel regained her balance and Pascal held on to her carefully as she steadied herself at the window. She scanned the yard quickly as her quick green eyes looked about. She finally spotted Eugene pacing around nervously as he explained orders to the workers. He was speaking quickly as he tossed his hair around anxiously with one hand and held his clipboard with his other. He glanced up and saw Rapunzel who eagerly waved at him from the window. He gave her a little smile and resumed his work.

Rapunzel sighed as she turned around and danced down the halls. Her father, King William, had appointed Eugene to take charge of the outside and she had complete trust in the prince. Hopefully, he could live up to her father and her's expectations.

Everyone in the castle was completely aware of Rapunzel daydreaming nature except for Rapunzel. She nearly knocked over a bucket of cleaning liquid in her haste and was constantly apologizing.

"Sorry, oops! Sorry! Excuse me!" she heard herself constantly saying.

"Careful, your highness!" a plump woman warned as she walked away with her bucket of water and soap.

"Okay, move please!" Rapunzel hurried ahead as she carefully made her way to the kitchen where no one was leaving cleaning supplies and dusters laying around and cleaning.

But there was the baking she had forgotten about.

Once she pushed the kitchen door open, she immediately felt a headache coming on. People were everywhere! The head chef was barking out orders at the poor laundry maids who had been forced into service. Women were constantly mixing and stirring things in huge bowls and pots bigger than Rapunzel, causing her head to spin. There was two girls walking around the huge kitchen sporting large mops and they were cleaning up messes as they went.

A girl glided down the floor with a mountain of fresh dish towels when and handed them to a heavy set women who quickly took them and set them to work wiping dishes. The smells intermingled with each other as pots boiled over; the ice that had been retrieved from the kingdom's ice supply were quickly melting. Rapunzel gulped as she carefully worked her way to the head chef.

"HURRY UP! THEM SHRIMPS AREN'T GOING TO PEEL THEMSELVES! YES, SEVENTY CRAB APPLES PIES! AND YOU!" he pointed to Rapunzel and then backed away in alarm.

"Me?" Rapunzel asked innocently as she pointed to herself, uncertain who the man was talking to.

"Your, your highness!" the man fumbled nervously. "I, I didn't kn-know it was y-you! Please forgive m-my rude behavior!" He quickly did a little bow as he twisted his chef's hat around in panic.

"I was just wondering if Mama was here," Rapunzel explained patiently. The color rushed back to the man's face as he smiled and said, "No, your highness, her highness is not here, but may I suggest that she may be in the ballroom?"

Rapunzel smiled and said, "Oh, okay. Thank you!" and when she turned around, she nearly bumped into someone.

"UGH! Excuse me!" she squealed, but her worried face disappeared as she recognized the helmet on his head. "Atilla! Making cupcakes?" The man nodded and offered her one from his large rack of pink frosted cupcakes.

"Oh, thank you!" Rapunzel smiled as she daintily took one from the edge and took a bite. "It's very good!" She caught a hint of a smile underneath his armor as he bowed and moved on to his other duties. She offered a bit of the cake to Pascal who stuck out his tongue and sucked it back in with the bit of cake on it. His eyes grew wide as he swallowed and excitedly nodded. Rapunzel laughed at his antics and said to him, "We have to go find Mama."

Rapunzel made her way across the castle to the ballroom. On her way there, she went through the dining room which was set for a quick supper for the four royals, and there was a little seat that was next to Rapunzel's with its own little set of dishes for Pascal.

As Rapunzel slowly opened the doors, she peered inside and squealed and then waltzed in.

The large ballroom had a shimmering floor, as bright as a mirror and it had the same reflecting qualities. In the center of it was the kingdom's coat of arms, a yellow elegant sun. The ceiling was nearly thirty feet high and at the tip-pity top was a crystal chandelier that was lit with great difficulty as the men who lit the candles on it had to bring the largest ladder in the kingdom to reach it. There was ceiling length windows with silky light purple draperies and crystals dotted the silky cloth.

Servants were setting up the buffet already even though the ball was tomorrow, but because there was so many people, they were setting it up early. Teacups with the kingdom's logo on it were stacked up near the saucers and shining silver spoons that the maids were currently scrubbing away at with silver polish were being placed in napkin lined baskets. Servants were organizing the dishes around the tables and Queen Catherine was by the music stage.

The music stage was where the music would be played. There was violins, cellos, and a large baby grand piano in the center. The queen was arranging the music sheets for the night's festivities and Hook Hand was tuning the piano.

"Hello, Mama," Rapunzel said brightly as she neared the platform. Queen Catherine smiled at her only daughter and smiled. "Hello, Rapunzel."

"Now, have you reconsidered my request?" Rapunzel asked hopefully as she stuck her hands behind her back and swayed back and forth.

"Yes, and request denied," Catherine smiled as she arranged the sheets of paper into small piles.

Rapunzel's face twisted into a frown. Rapunzel struggled up onto the stage and sat down on the edge of it next to the queen and asked, "Why not?"

"Because, for one, you will be needed to have fun, and two, a guitar doesn't exactly fit in with the rest of the music," the queen patiently explained.

"So Hook Hand's rough house piano playing is?" Rapunzel asked as she folded her arms in annoyance. Hook Hand peeked at the two royals from his seat on the piano bench and called,"My playing is not rough! It's elegant." Pascal rolled his eyes and smiled at her in attempt to cheer her up.

"Sorry, dear, but I can't have you, who is the princess AND the guest of honor, play guitar for hours on end," Catherine answered matter-of-factly.

Rapunzel sighed and placed her head on her fist and sighed. "That's a bit of a bummer."

"It's also life, sweetheart. Now," Catherine said as she continued, "is Eugene done yet?"

"I think so, though I still hear people on the roof," Rapunzel pointed upward where there was men working away at the roof with buckets of fresh paint.

"I still don't know why your father wants them to do that," Catherine said as she too looked at the roof.

"Nobody will be able to see it," Rapunzel giggled as she slid off of the stage. "I'm going to see Maximus and get Eugene for supper. Come on, Pascal." The chameleon yawned and smiled. He had gotten a bit lazy at the castle lately.

She ran across the room and a guard opened a door for her to whom she curtsied. She again avoided all the royal staff who were scurrying about and ran out the back door of the kitchen.

Now, in the back of the castle was the stables in which the horses were kept. Maximus, being Maximus, the Captain's horse, had his own special stall in the back of the stable. It had a window and a gigantic pile of hay and a bucket of water and a pile of apples. He got lots of sunshine and went outdoors daily. He was not in the stable during the day because he was the head horse of security in the kingdom and was always busy patroling the streets and training the newbies.

But for once, he was in his stable, for it was near suppertime, and he was currently chomping on Granny Smith apples. His sharp ears perked up when he noticed the two come into the smelly stable and neighed for their attention. Rapunzel caught sight of the horse and smiled as she went up to him and started scratching his chin.

"Hey-o, Maximus. Are you all tired from catching bad men from all over the place? Are you? Oh, you know I appreciate you, right?" she asked eagerly. When the horse nodded yes, she continued with her baby talk. This was one of the things only Rapunzel and Maximus could do, if Eugene did anything remotely close to this, Maximus would kick him in the stomach quicker than you could bat an eye.

"Would you like a special apple that is only for humans but it can also only be for good horses?" Rapunzel teased as she stuck her hand behind her back. In her palm, she had a shiny red apple and Maximus' proficient nose could smell the pleasing scent of it and he started vying for it immediately.

"Uh, uh, uh!" she laughed as he started attacking her good-naturedly as he tried to snatch it from her hand. It was a good thing there was a stall door between them or he would have chased the small princess.

Pascal chirped toward the open entrance where Eugene had come through. The prince gave Pascal a little scratch as the chameleon leaped onto his shoulder to avoid being sniffed at and spat on by the hungry horse. Eugene watched in amusement as Rapunzel shrieked with laughter when Maximus sniffed her barefeet.

"Ach, make him stop!" she squealed.

"I thought you could charm horses into submission," Eugene smiled, amused. Pascal gave a little laugh at Rapunzel who would have given the both of them a glare if she could stop giggling.

"It was that that started it!" Rapunzel laughed as Maximus added his own horse like laugh. "SAVE ME!" she giggled loudly.

"Okay, fine. Rapunzel, give that beast the apple, Max, stop attacking the princess," he ordered. Rapunzel instantly threw the fruit into the stable and Maximus stooped down and chewed and swallowed it in one single gulp.

"Come on, Blondie, we've got to go eat before the guests start flooding the place," Eugene smiled as Rapunzel patted her hair to make sure that the horse had not disturbed it.

"Okay, and I'm going to give you a hug!" Rapunzel warned him before she started to pounce on the unsuspecting prince.

"Whoa, whoa, sorry, Blondie. I'm as sweaty as a pig," Eugene informed the hyperactive princess.

Rapunzel shrugged her shoulders good-naturedly and declared, "I don't care!" This conversation immediately turned into a chase. Rapunzel laughed excitedly as she chased the ex-thief through the gardens, around the balcony and around the castle's corridors. Pascal had slipped into Eugene's front pocket on his shirt before this chase had ensued and he was glad he did for Eugene did so much dodged and jumping and creeping against walls, the chameleon would have never made it pass the stable's front door. The little chameleon knew all this running was for naught because he knew that in this sort of situation, Rapunzel always won.

* * *

After dinner, Rapunzel and Eugene went into their bedroom to start to get ready. They had to evade the castle servants who were running around with towels and bedsheets and extra little bars of soap. While there was a few hundred guests, only a couple hundred opted to stay a few nights. Nonetheless, there was guest bedrooms to prepare and beds to make and bathrooms to clean and little chocolates to be placed on the pillows.

"I can't believe that took ten minutes just to get from the dining room to our bedroom," Rapunzel groaned as she fell onto their large king sized bed. Eugene pulled out a sleepy Pascal from his pocket and plopped the little guy on their nightstand and replied, "Yep." He picked up a change of clothes and headed to the washroom to change.

Rapunzel sighed and changed her dress. Once she was done, she sat on the little laced lined pillowed seat that accompanied her desk and picked up her hair brush. The mirror opposite her was a metallic shade and had little suns carved into the frame. The glass reflected her every move as she patiently brushed her hair. Once her scalp was styled the way she wanted it to look like, she put down the brush and inserted pearl earrings into her petite ears.

When she started living in the castle, she didn't like makeup like blush and powder because she said that it made her look like a clown, however, she had consented to the shimmering jewelry and always enjoyed the shining pieces, especially the pearls because they looked like shells.

She glanced at Pascal who had dozed off and cleared her throat for his attention. He lazily opened one eye and she stuck her thumbs behind her ears to push them into the light for him to see. He gave her a smile and a thumb's up and dozed off again.

Beaming with excitement, Rapunzel rummaged through her jewelry box and pulled out her pearl necklace. She was never very good at putting on her own necklaces and so without even trying she called, "Eugene!"

"Yeah?" was his response.

"Can you help me with my necklace?"

"Yeah, sure. I'm coming."

Rapunzel smiled and waited until he crossed the room and tied the necklace on. Once he was done, he peeked into the mirror and looked at her reflection.

"You look wonderful tonight," he said quietly.

"And so do you," she smiled.

"Well, I've always had my super-human good looks to help," he answered teasingly.

"Eugene," Rapunzel said in a warning tone. She stood up to face him and said jokingly, "What's with the bow tie?"

"Too much?"

"It would look better on Pascal." At the mention of his name, the chameleon looked over at them suspiciously.

"I thought you said Pascal looked adorable in a bow tie!"

"Yes, Pascal, not _you,_" she told him. She carefully picked the pin of the bow tie and detached it from his shirt. Pascal sighed and turned dark pink and covered his eyes out of habit. He knew the two lovebirds enough to know that they do stuff like that a lot just to have an excuse to kiss.

Rapunzel rolled her eyes at the chameleon's antics and pulled her husband into an embrace and their lips met. A little disgusted noise came from Pascal's direction as the prince wrapped his arms around the princess.

A knock on the door came to Pascal's rescue as the two broke from each other and Eugene called out, "Yes?"

"Prince Aladdin and Princess Jasmine are here, your highnesses," a muffled voice came from behind the door.

"Coming," Eugene called back and he turned to Rapunzel, who was beaming. "Come on," he told her and he gently grasped her hand and they raced out of the room (Rapunzel grabbed Pascal and stuck him on her shoulder) and into the hallway, now clear of scrubbing maids.

They hightailed down the hallways and made their way down the main staircase. They leaped over the banisters as a butler quickly indicated for the young couple to tidy up a bit before the guards led in the other royal couple. Rapunzel straightened her skirt and Eugene dusted off his shoulder as Queen Catherine and King William looked at them in confusion. The king rolled his eyes and surpressed a smile at them, for he knew that they were always late for these sort of things.

Rapunzel and Eugene hastily straightened up as the large doors opened. Corona's guards gave the foreign vistors a stiff and formal bow as Jasmine, Aladdin, The Sultan, Abu, Carpet and Rajah walked through the entranceway. Rapunzel cleared her throat at Eugene who looked at her and he was given a look. He quickly understood it and the four royals of Corona bowed formally to their guests.

"Sultan, welcome to our kingdom," King William said in a regal voice but in a kind manner.

The Sultan smiled broadly as his little feet picked themselves up and ran up to King William and shook hands with the man.

"Ah, yes, William, how good to meet you! And your lovely queen," he excitedly ranted. He took Queen Catherine's hand in his and placed a polite kiss on it. "Good day to you too, Catherine."

"Oh, Sultan, it is so nice to meet you, come to the parlor while we wait for the other guests to arrive," Catherine smiled as she and The Sultan followed William to the parlor.

The two young couples looked at each other in complete and utter not-knowing-what-to-do-ness. Maximus had somehow walked into the room through some door and was now looking at them curiously. Jasmine and Rapunzel gave each other a little wave and then they both dropped their hands.

Eugene wrapped an arm around Rapunzel with one hand and cleared his throat with the other as he struggled to make conversation. "Ummm..."

This weird silence was broken when the castle's doors flew open and a bright blue blur came bursting through.

"Hell-o, Corona! Sorry I'm late, had to park the camels!" Genie announced. He shrank down to the size of six feet and eagerly shook Rapunzel and Eugene's hands, to their amass surprise.

"Hello, nice to meet, happy to be here, and oh!" he noticed Pascal looking at him with wide eyes, "a reptile," and with that, the Genie transformed into a chameleon. Rapunzel's eyes grew wider as Eugene starting hyperventilating a little.

"Ugh, Genie! Stop that!" Aladdin ordered disgustedly.

"Oh, come on, hiya!" he waved at Pascal who promptly fainted.

"Look what you did, you killed the frog!" Aladdin said, horrified.

"Chameleon," Eugene said as he tried to calm himself enough to see Rapunzel check on Pascal's blood pressure.

"Don't worry, he didn't kill him," Rapunzel looked from Pascal to her guests with a smile.

"Genies can't kill anyone, remember, Aladdin?" Jasmine smirked a bit as she elbowed the ex-thief good-naturedly.

"Okay, sorry, my bad," Genie apologized as he turned into a little boy. "Love the sinner, hate the sin."

Eugene had tried calming down, but this was a bit much. His breathing starts to speed up and he exhaled and inhaled quickly as a scream mounted inside him. Rapunzel noticed this and screamed at him, "Eugene, DON'T FREAK OUT!"

Eugene's scream never left his throat as he stared at Rapunzel in horror. Aladdin was a bit perplexed and he whispered to Jasmine, "What happened?" Rapunzel had told the princesses about her husband's strange behavior toward things like this and Jasmine answered a bit smugly, "He's freaking out."

Rapunzel held out her hands in panic and tried to make him stop wearing his stricken expression. Her eyes said, "Please?" and he quickly responded with, "Freaking-out-no-I'm-not-freaking-out-are-you-freaking-out-no-I'm-just-very-interested-in-the-genie-how-did-he-get-those-magical-powers-again?"

Rapunzel dropped her hands and rolled her eyes at him. Genie looked amused as he turned back into his regular self. "I'm a genie, I've always had them."

"Oh, of course," Eugene smiled weakly. Rapunzel rolled her eyes again and with a smile on her face she elbowed him and said, "Stop with the freaking out already!"

"He does that a lot?" Jasmine wondered curiously.

"On occasion. The first time was when I sung and my hair-"

"And I think we're done talking about that subject," Eugene quickly cut in. "Um, let's go to the parlor and wait for everyone else." Aladdin and Jasmine shrugged and the odd group went to the parlor where The Sultan was having a lively conversation with William and Catherine. The royal animal trainer came and took Rajah and Abu to their own animal room.

Once they sat down, a servant dashed in and told Rapunzel and Eugene that there was another set of guests. Catherine saw them and nodded them on to which Rapunzel and Eugene sighed and excused themselves as they walked back to the foyer.

"So?" Rapunzel asked him.

"So what?" he answered.

"Do you like them?" was Rapunzel's answer. He stumbled for a moment and then stuttered, "Yeah, sure. They seem nice."

"Good," Rapunzel smiled as she opened the door that led to the foyer and the two resumed their positions.

In walked Aurora on the arm of Philip along with her parents, Stefan and Leah, and her father-in-law, Hubert. (Samson had been taken to the stables).

"King Stefan, King Hubert, Queen Leah, welcome to our castle. Welcome, Aurora and Philip," Rapunzel curtsied. "Please, if you'll join us, my parents and The Sultan are in the parlor." Rapunzel joined arms with Eugene and fell into pace with Phillip and Aurora, whom she asked, "Where's The Three Good Fairies?"

"They're with Mama Odie at Fairy Godmother's house," Aurora explained. Once Rapunzel introduced them to her parents, another servant came to tell her that more people had come. Rapunzel sighed and seated them before she grabbed Eugene's arm and dragged him back to the foyer.

Tiana had arrived with Naveen, Ray*, Louis, Eudora, Naveen's parents and little brother Ralphie, Mr. 'Big Daddy' La Bouff and a hyperactive Charlotte who was twisting around her bag nervously.

"Welcome to Corona-" Rapunzel started to say before Charlotte pounced on her.

"Oh, Rapunzel, Tia!" she grabbed her best friend's hand and the ex-lost princess' and squeezed them both, "I've never seen so much royalty!" She let go of them (they both let out a sigh of relief) and bounced toward the parlor door. "Hurry up, y'all!"

"That's Lottie for you," Tiana smiled as she and Rapunzel connected elbows and they all went to the parlor.

The next party was Mulan, Shang, Mulan's parents, Fa Zhou and Fa Li, her grandmother, Grandma Fa, Mushu, Crickee and Khan, Ling, Yao, Chien Po, Ting-ting, Su, Mei, and even the Emperor came along with Chi-Fu. Mulan had to bring Little Brother because, as she put it, "No one would watch him. He got his name because he's messy, like a little brother," and to this both girls laughed good-naturedly.

Next came Snow White with Prince Ferdinand and seven dwarfs*. When Rapunzel shook hands with each dwarf, Grumpy turned away with his folded arms and grumbled.

"Why is he doing that?" Rapunzel asked, a little offended.

"He didn't want to come," Happy explained.

"He like doesn't-" Doc tried to say when all the other dwarfs except Grumpy and Dopey yelled at him, "Doesn't like!" Doc smiled and sputtered, "Right, he doesn't like girls that much!"

"Oh, really?" Rapunzel smiled as she stooped down to Grumpy's size.

"Oh, you mustn't mind Grumpy, he shunned me like that too when he first met me," Snow White explained.

After they got led out of the room, in came Ariel with Flounder in a fish bowl under her arm and Sebastian on her shoulder along with Eric, Max, Grimsby, Carlotta, and Scuttle. Chef Louis had somehow tagged along and Triton had done the unimaginable: He had turned himself human. Along with Ariel's six sisters, he had used the trident to turn his fin into legs.

"Hello, your highness!" Rapunzel squealed as she greeted the mer/man. Triton examined Rapunzel and smiled. She reminded him of his daughter Ariel the way she was so sweet and hyper.

"Hello, Princess," he greeted her and with that, Rapunzel and Eugene led them all into the parlor.

Next came along Cinderella on the arm of Prince James with his father, The King, in tow along with The Grand Duke escorting Prudence. Anastasia had managed to come along with a grumbling stepsister Drizella. The mice, Mary, Jaq and Gus excitedly walked around the legs of Bruno, who was turning old, but still had a spring in his step.

Belle came with Prince Adam and her father Maurice. There was Mrs. Potts, Chip, Lumiere and his girlfriend Babette, Cogsworth and Madame Bouche with Phillipe the horse and the affectionately named Sultan, the dog.

Last, but not least, came Pocahontas on the arm of John Rolfe, and Powhatan with his large staff. Wiggins had tagged along for the fun (he did miss a good English ball) with Percy was on his leash. Meeko and Flik were on Pocahontas' shoulders and Nakoma followed behind them with Thomas.

"Princess Rapunzel, we are honored to be invited to your royal ball," Powhatan bowed to which Rapunzel smiled and curtsied in response.

"The pleasure is all mine," Rapunzel was sure that her teacher would be pleased to hear her say that. "Come to the parlor, everyone else is gathered there." As they followed Rapunzel and Eugene, Eugene whispered into her ear, "That's not John Smith, is it?" Rapunzel sighed and said to him, "I'll explain later."

Once they had all arrived for the night, Rapunzel surveyed the mess of people. All were talking and chatting merrily, and the royal animal trainer was having a hard time separating Mushu and Sebastian from their girls. Rapunzel quickly caught the attention of eight of the princesses and beckoned them to follow her.

Once they all had been welcomed in, Rapunzel let Eugene off the hook and he joined the people in the parlor as she waited outside the door. The other princesses nodded in response and all but Pocahontas slipped out of the room. Rapunzel motioned to them to follow her and she led them to the foyer.

Tiana tapped her foot impatiently as Rapunzel looked through a window and scanned the outside hastily.

"Rapunzel," she called, "it'll be time for tea soon."

"I know, but," she paused as she bit her lip, "I have to tell you something."

"Okay, what?" Jasmine wondered. Rapunzel twisted her dress with her hands as she admitted, "Y'all are going to hate me for this, but, I invited John Smith and now I don't know when he'll get here!" Rapunzel stamped her foot.

"Oh my goodness," was all that Snow White could say.

"That means," Belle gulped.

"Oh, Rapunzel, why?" Cinderella moaned.

"Well, he IS a Disney Character, and well, when I read their story, gosh, they LIKED EACH OTHER! And, and, the way that Pocahontas talks about John Rolfe, I don't think that she is as happy with him, and, and, so I sent him an invitation and he ACCEPTED! There was no turning back! And now I feel so dog-on anxious!" Rapunzel answered.

"Well, she DOES have a point," Aurora pointed out.

"Yep. It's just a matter of making it all work," Tiana sighed as she placed her head in her hands and moaned.

"Hey, cheer up! There'll be so many people here, they might not even see each other!" Ariel said enthusiastically and she took her arm and connected it with Rapunzel's. "Everything will be fine."

Rapunzel smiled in relief and laughed, "I hope you're right!" Eugene then peeked through the door leading to the foyer and called at them, "Ladies, time for tea!"

"Coming!" Rapunzel called and with that, the nine princesses linked arms and ran to the dining room.

* * *

**Okay, y'all, my longest chapter yet! And once this author's note it done, it'll be over 7,000 words! Awesome! *, I went and resurrected Ray, cause I like him so much! *2, I spelled it that way because that's how they originally spelled it in 1937. Here is the link to the dresses that the princesses will be wearing, if it doesn't work, just put in 'Disney designer doll collection' in images and you should find something disney-store-princess-designer-doll-17303/ Hope y'all like it, and please review!**


	10. To London We Go!

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own any of these wonderful movies or adorable princesses...wish I did...my DISCLAIMERS are getting less funny...that's kinda sad. I did see Rapunzel and the other princesses ride in their carriages, though it was on YouTube, I wasn't actually THERE, but I was there in spirit. An enthusiastic fan-girl spirit. Yeah. I went and cleared up all of the inaccuracies and mistakes in this story, so hopefully this will be easier to read. Okay, now with the story. (And yes, I'm adding people from Enchanted, though not Edward and Nancy, cause they're busy, and cause _I _want too!)**

Rapunzel honestly didn't know what to say. Things were going so fast, it was like she was standing still while the world was spinning around her. Better let me explain.

Early that morning, specifically seven a.m., she had tried to wake up the sleeping figure next to her. He didn't wake up. That forced her hand to pound his head with her pillow, but despite her effort instead of waking straight up, wide awake, he sleepily opened his eyes and noticed the sober figure before him. The ex-thief groaned and placed his pillow over his head and snored.

Next came the ladies-in-waiting, whom she had somehow managed to escape yesterday, (thank goodness they usually accompanied the Queen), who whisked her away to a dressing room she used when she needed help with her outfit. She had managed to grab the chameleon before she was rushed off and he was now wide awake, watching her every move. The ladies-in-waiting, however, were quite the opposite of the calm and cool reptile. They chatted nervously like canaries when they helped Rapunzel with her bath and they fussed and moaned to each other when they helped her slip into her favorite dress, her original purple dress.

"Why am I wearing this dress?" Rapunzel wondered as a servant dusted off her gown as another brushed her hair. She examined the folds of fabric with wide eyes.

"Was this the one you wore when you went to see the lanterns for the first time, your highness?" the head lady-in-waiting asked briskly as she crossed the room and opened the large wardrobe to reveal a large manequin.

Rapunzel thought a moment and nodded.

"Then that's the one you'll be wearing, the crowd wants it," the lady who was in charge told her kindly. With an assisting lady, they were able to take out the manequin and they presented it to Rapunzel.

Rapunzel and Pascal's eyes grew wide when they immediately recognized the thing on the head of the manequin.

Upon the head of the manequin, there was an exact replica of Rapunzel's seventy feet of blonde hair. The wig had taken the ladies nearly an hour to shape the hair into a large and long braid. They had twisted some of Corona's finest flowers into it, completing the look. Rapunzel stared at the wig in wonderment. Her mouth stood agape as she stuttered a bit and Pascal quirked his eyes at the thing.

"Ummmm..." was all the words that she could make. The head lady-in-waiting, Madeline, explained, "Since your hair was blonde and long for the course of your life, we made this for you to wear." That last bit loosened Rapunzel's tongue as she said, "I'm supposed to _wear _that?"

"Yes, you've done it before," Madeline smiled as she wiped her hands on her apron and with the help of the others, they were able to take it off of the head, and they gently placed it on Rapunzel's. They immediately started sticking it to her head with pins.

Her head immediately started aching as she gave a little screech when they let go of the mop of hair and looked at Rapunzel in the mirror. She gently tucked the bits of spiky brown hair that were sticking out back under the wig. The LIW smiled softly at her as she gently stroked the fake locks, which felt so real. It was a nostaglic moment as she smiled to herself. She turned to Pascal for his approval and he gave her a warm smile and a thumb's up.

"Where did you get this fake hair?" Rapunzel wondered in awe. It felt SO real.

"It's your real hair; we dyed it," Madeline explained, causing Rapunzel to utter a slight gasp, and she stopped stroking the hair. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. Despite the fact that this was her actual hair made into a wig, she thought she looked lovely.

"Oh, you look wonderful," Madeline smiled as Rapunzel stood up and tried to twirl, but instead she stumbled and fell into a chair.

"Whoa, that feels so weird!" Rapunzel giggled. She carefully stood up and attempted it again, which she did successfully. The ladies-in-waiting smiled happily at the young princess as she grabbed Pascal and dropped him on her shoulder. She twirled out of the dressing room, calling, "Thank you!"

Of course, since she was Rapunzel, she went and bumped into the first person in the room. She stumbled into the caring arms of the ex-thief as she gasped in shock and her legs went lax. She carefully shoved the falling wig back onto her head as she turned and smiled at the grin on Eugene's face.

"Morning," she whispered excitedly.

"Excited?" he questioned her, only to receive a playful shove as Rapunzel danced away into the light, causing the brilliant braid to shine in the sunlight that was pouring in from the floor length windows.

Eugene just noticed her new hair, and was a bit stunned, to say the least. Ask Pascal, who had crawled off of Rapunzel's shoulder and onto Eugene's, he'd have told you that the look was an exact replica of the look he had had on his face when he had first met the sheltered princess. His eyes never darted away from her as she stopped and grinned at him. A surprised smile showed up on his face as he stuttered, "Whoa! Deja vu much?"

Pascal and Rapunzel laughed excitedly as Rapunzel grabbed his hand and dragged him into a dance with her. She was able to make anyone dance, even a reluctant ex-thief.

"Come on, Eugene, let's dance!" as she resumed twirling.

"Rapunzel..."

"The wind feels great when it moves past my hair!"

"Rapunzel..."

"AND, it managed to cover up all my brown hair!"

"RAPUNZEL!" His loud voice caused Rapunzel to stop twirling and stare at him. She looked at him oddly and asked, "Yeah?"

"We kinda have to, you know, hurry along," he told her. She cocked her head to the side and a twisted smile came over her face.

"Okay," Rapunzel answered in a sad tone. "But," she added excitedly, "you'll have to CATCH ME!" and with that she dodged him and sprinted out the nearest door. Eugene stared after her and ruffled his hair with his hand. He turned to the chameleon who was grinning on his shoulder and scowled.

"Stop looking at me like that!" the prince-consort growled at the reptile before he broke into a run after the petite girl. He managed to catch sight of her bouncing into the kitchen and he plowed through the doors, only to pushed around by speeding servants and maids. He, of course, hadn't bothered to check out the room before he burst in, and of course he was caught off guard by people rapidly nearly managing to plow him down.

He managed to plaster himself against a wall; Pascal was breathing heavily as the little chameleon wiped a bit of sweat off of his green brow.

"Why are you sweating? I'm the one chasing her," Eugene scowled at the chameleon. The two leaned against the wall even more when a large man with a tray nearly ran them over. Pascal rolled his eyes at him before the ex-thief rushed off again.

He caught glimpses of blonde hair around the twists and turns of the castle, and followed those. Of course his running about caused a bit of a stir as he managed to dodge and not run into the Disney guests peeking out of their rooms. More people and animals had arrived late last night and early that morning and they were either waking up to a loud ruckus or settling in.

Eugene found himself in the middle of a hallway with nothing but guest bedrooms, except for a closet at the end of a hall. He rounded the bend only to discover a crowd of guys surrounding one of the doors. As he approached the furor, he noticed that nearly all of the men were the husbands of his wife's new friends. The guy with brown-hair-pulled-into-a-hurried-ponytail knocked on the door loudly as the guy Eugene recognized as Prince Adam yelled loudly, "Belle, you open this door!"

"No!" came the voice from within the locked room. Immediately after the princess called, the others in the group with her giggled; one particular giggle was higher pitched and more excited sounding than the others. Eugene sighed in annoyance as he slowly made his way through the large group, punctuating the air with, "Excuse me, sorry. Yeah, they're being impossible, right?" and with a slight jolt, he stumbled into the door.

He straightened his bruised head and banged on the door angrily, calling out, "Rapunzel! Rapunzel, I know that you're in there! Come out!" He carefully pressed his ear against the door; Pascal mimicked his actions. He was able to make out, "Wow. I never knew doors could be so handy," followed by a myriad of giggles. He scowled as he straightened up and kicked the door.

"Why are they in there?" Eugene turned to the group for answers.

"All I know was one minute, Esmeralda was in our room, the next, I get nearly plowed down by a group of girls," Phoebus explained. Eugene looked at him in disgust. "Everyone?"

"For the most part, yes," Simba growled as he scratched against the door.

"How are we supposed to get them out?" Eugene sighed as he ruffled his hair like he did when he was frustrated or nervous. In this case, it was for both reasons that he did this, for they needed to get to England.

"We could knock down the door?" Hercules shrugged hopefully. His suggestion was met with quiet no's, for no one, not even the prince-consort, wanted to explain to the King and Queen that they had to break down a door so that they could retrieve the girls.

"Do you have a key?" Robin Hood wondered. Eugene frowned and kicked the door again. How the heck were they supposed to get them out if three thieves couldn't think of anything?

Genie had rounded the corner and noticed the ruckus. He shrunk down to the size of the guys and said, "Hello, what have we here?"

"A bunch of the girls locked themselves into this room," Milo explained as he re-adjusted his glasses for the upteenth time.

"Well," Genie rolled up his blue arms so that they bunched up at his elbows, "I can get them out!" The expressions on the guys exploded into smiles as Abu rubbed circles on Genie's shoulder. Genie, who had a towel laying limply around his neck, tossed the rag aside and got into position. He walked up to the door, wrapped his hands around the knob and pulled.

The guys' smiles faded as Eugene sighed and said, "We've already tried that!"

"Yes, yes, just, give me a MINUTE!" Genie yelled as he twisted and turned the knob this way and that, but then finally gave up. He slumped against the door and pointed to it with his thumb, "I think they barricaded it."

This utter of defeat aroused several screams and cheers from within the door and clapping insued, only to add to the frustration of the boys.

Naveen had been thinking thoughtfully and he suddenly had a bright idea. While Eugene was griping to himself, the Maldonian Prince managed to swipe Pascal and explain to him his plan. When Pascal nodded and gave him a thumb's up, he set him down and the little chameleon scampered away.

The little reptile soon returned with a bug flying overhead. Ray rolled up his arms like Genie had and pushed through the group.

"'Cuse me, pardon." He finally reached the door and examined the knob thoughtfully. With a quick nod, he cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted, "Girls, I'm a-comin' in!" He then lit his light and twisted his body until he resembled a key and flew into the lock. The men watched in wonderment as the sounds of drilling and glass shattering came from within the lock. Ray then crawled out of the lock and wiped his hands together, saying in a satisfied tone, "That should just abut do it."

Eugene grinned and grabbed the knob and turned. The inumerous amount of men, animals and boys burst into the room, only to find it empty. They spread out and Taran found a large window. The panes had been thrusted out and the curtains flowed gently in the breeze that the wind had brought in. Eugene glanced around and at the bottom of the courtyard, he saw Giselle and Aurora helping Rapunzel gather up her blonde hair that they had, more than likely, used to get down. They waved at him and raced off, tresses of hair trailing behind them.

"Well, that worked out well," Tramp sighed.

"Let's get 'em!" Yao yelled, and with that, all the men ran out the door. Eugene rescued Pascal from being trampled and went searching by himself. He was never too good with crowds. The two creeped around the hallways, checked out the unoccupied rooms and closets.

When he finally came across the door accessing the large dining room, the ex-thief jumped to feel a small hand cover his mouth. He was able to turn and see his brunette-with-a-blonde-wig-on-her-head-wife giggling; her other little hand trembled as she covered her own mouth to suppress her giggles. His surprised expression shrinked into a smirk as he daintily picked up her hand and threw it aside.

"Where have you been?" the prince-consort wanted to know. Rapunzel played with a flower in her hair and answered innocently, "Why, I was in the dining room, waiting for you."

He smirked and caught her hand. "You'd make a heck of a thief."

"Really?" Rapunzel, in her excitement, let go of his hand and jumped up and down, squealing the whole while.

Eugene knew he should have been used to her getting stoked about practically everything, but he still wondered, "Why are you doing that?"

"Because being called you'd be a good thief is a compliment coming from you!" Rapunzel giggled. She swooped down on him and grabbed the panting chameleon that was trying to catch his breath and caught Eugene's hand.

"Breakfast!" she squealed, and with that, she dragged him into the dining room.

Now, there was two dining rooms. There was the private dining room for the King and Queen and their small parties of royal and noble guests, along with the younger royal pair, of course, but there was also the large dining room for monsterous amounts of guests. There was tables upon tables lined up topped with royal purple table-clothes and candlesticks with large suns in the center. There was two large buffets on either side of the long room, and guests were already almost finished by the time the three entered.

The minute they entered, they were approached by Queen Catherine.

"Rapunzel! Eugene! You both have to leave for London in fifteen minutes! Oh!" the Queen gasped, "Mrs. Potts is helping with the food again!" and with that, she gave them a loving shove and walked quickly to the buffet. Since she was headed to the buffet, Pascal eagerly leaped onto the Queen's shoulder. The two watched the two and shrugged to each other, and went to get their breakfast. They managed to eat before another servant rushed them away to their carriage. They were able to reach the open balcony at the front of the castle without being trampled, which was an accomplishment in and of itself.

As the servant ran to alert the driver to bring the carriage around, Rapunzel's quick eyes darted about and then promptly widened. She grabbed Eugene's collar and pulled him down to her level. He gave her one of his _really? _looks before she pointed out to him what she was staring at. His eyes grew to the size of small plates as he gave a low whistle, "That's a lot of animals, Blondie."

"There are dozens of animals in the yard!" Rapunzel was able to squeak. A short man with a bushy white mustache leaned over the railing with them and exclaimed, "My goodness! My dear, I believe it is called a zoo!"

"A zoo?" Rapunzel groaned.

"Why yes, of course," he stuck out his hand and smiled, "Professor Archimedes Q. Porter, at your service!"

Rapunzel smiled warmly at the man and took his hand and shook it enthusiastically, causing the old man to shake violently. "Oh, Jane's father!"

"Why yes, of course, speaking of the girl, I must go find her," he tipped his safari hat and said, "Good day!"

Rapunzel waved at the old man and then turned to the menagerie and sighed. Cats ran about chasing the various birds, Rajah had nearly eaten Crickee and the bumble bees were currently chasing Pooh, who really should have gone to the kitchen for a taste of the sweet stuff.

"So we have a zoo in the backyard? All my hardwork, all for naught," Eugene groaned as Dumbo's mother walked past them.

"Let's just hope they don't kill each other," Rapunzel giggled, despite herself. "Oh, the carriage!"

The carriage's driver stopped the vehicle in front of the steps and the couple treaded lightly hand and hand down the stairway and onto the stone ground. Eugene opened the carriage door while Rapunzel giggled, and he helped the princess up into the inside. He then stepped inside and closed the door. It was a good thing that it was an open carriage, for the braid stuck out everywhere.

"Rapunzel!" Rapunzel lifted her head to see Cinderella and Jasmine waving at her from their carriage. The nine remaining princesses had squeezed into two carriages and now Rapunzel waved back at them. She turned her head away, however, when the magical portal unvealed itself. The bright light nearly blinded everyone as the drivers carefully made their way into it.

Rapunzel and Eugene were last to go through, so they simply sat back and enjoyed each other's company. There was not many perfect moments like this one, so of course it had to be ruined the moment they entered the portal when Rapunzel stiffened and screamed, "PASCAL!"

* * *

All that was earlier this morning. After they had arrived in London and Eugene had calmed her down because of there being no appearance of a certain frog, ("_Chameleon, Eugene!" "Yeah, yeah, nuance!"), _Rapunzel started to enjoy herself. She had always liked people, and these people all wanted her attention. There was reporters, mothers and fathers, with little children who wanted to meet her. The manager finally called them off and brought Rapunzel over to the royal stables.

Eugene was dragged away elsewhere and Rapunzel soon found the group of Disney Princesses. They gathered around and squealed.

"YEAH! It's finally today!" Snow White smiled her perfectly white teeth.

"Yes, I know! I'm surprised I could sleep!" Rapunzel exhaled and inhaled rapidly.

"Wasn't that fun what we did to the boys this morning?" Tiana giggled.

"That was fun! We probably shouldn't have done it though," Cinderella, the sensible one, pointed out.

"Okay, so we won't ever do it again!" Belle shrugged her shoulders reassuringly. "Simple!"

As the girls continued to talk at a fast pace, Cinderella looked beyond their shoulders and pointed, "Look!" They all turned to see a bright cloud of sparkles drifting through the air. The glitter glistened about as a figure formed. The blizzard calmed as Fairy Godmother stepped out of it and smiled.

"Fairy Godmother! Fairy Godmother!" they all shrieked and ran to her side. Fairy Godmother's smile widened as she tapped each girl on the head with her magic wand and recalled all of their names.

"...Mulan, Tiana, and oh," she spied Rapunzel in the background, "who could this be?"

Rapunzel gulped and said quietly and slowly, "Rapunzel?"

Cinderella smiled and placed an arm around the young girl. "The one with the freakishly long hair?"

"Who got stolen as a baby?"

"And blackmailed a thief to take her to see floating lanterns?"

"The one who is getting coronated today?"

"With a parade and ceremony that YOU'RE hosting?"

Fairy Godmother tapped her chin thoughtfully and then tapped Rapunzel's head as well. "Oh! The one who threatened me with the frying pan!" she playfully teased. "Oh, yes, I remember this one very well." Rapunzel smiled at her as the godmother patted her hand. "And when is the parade starting?"

Pocahontas glanced over her shoulder and called out, "Now!" When the princesses turned to look, they were instantly swept away to their carriages. Rapunzel waved goodbye to Fairy Godmother, who waved back, wand in her hand.

Rapunzel knew someone was talking to her after that, but she wasn't quite sure what the employee was saying. All she was able to make out was, "Wave. Smile. Be happy. Look at the audience." She nodded in response, (it seemed to be the right thing to do), and the employee nodded and handed her off to the driver. The driver lead her to her carriage, which made her stop and gasp.

The open carriage was that of pure white, with lacy embellishments and a soft plush seat. There was lanterns (ones that stayed on the ground) posted next to the driver's seat and the deep, dark brown horses sniffed softly in her direction.

"Excited, aye your 'ighness?" the British man smiled at the foreign girl as he helped her carefully up the steps of the carriage. He clambered up the steps to the driver's seat and retrieved his little horse whip before he glanced back at the princess.

"Very, sir!" Rapunzel breathed. She had never experienced a parade before, and so her adrenaline was pumping faster and faster as she glanced ahead. All of the other princesses had their own carriages, some open with doors and some with no doors, like Belle's. Rapunzel looked worriedly at the carriage two carriages ahead of her. Pocahontas and Mulan were sitting opposite each other, and Rapunzel inquired, "Why is Princess Pocahontas and Princess Mulan sharing a carriage?"

Her driver turned to her and divulged, "Them horses that were supposed to pull one of 'em's carriage got stage fright, your 'ighness, so they's sharing one." Rapunzel nodded understandingly and then pointed out, "And who's that?"

The driver turned to where she was pointing to. It was a white pinto who was calmly chewing a carrot that his trainer had offered him.

"That bloke? He's Max," the driver explained.

"Oh," Rapunzel murmured to herself. She then felt a jolt of excitement as a trumpet resounded through the street. _Here we go! _she thought to herself.

Of course, the going started at the very front with Snow White, but before the black-haired princess' carriage moved forward, a pair of girls walked ahead with a pink sign in Rapunzel's honor, and men in black patrolled the street.

As Snow White moved on, Rapunzel leaned toward the driver and asked, "Who are those men in black?"

"Them's security, your 'ighness. You know," he moved his hand around in search for a phrase or word, "royal guards."

"Oh, alright!" Rapunzel laughed to herself. She gasped as she finally realized the crowd that surrounded them.

Hundreds of women and men with their children, and teens and seniors were lined up all along the street. There was several little girls, and medium girls, and not so medium girls dressed up in dresses that looked just like hers! The cameras (which the employee had pointed out to Rapunzel that she was supposed to smile and wave at), flashed at an incredible speed. Rapunzel winced a little at the bright lights of the cameras that was pointed toward her.

She jumped as a warm hand wrapped itself in her own. She looked down and smiled warmly at Eugene, who squeezed her hand softly and smiled back at her.

"That's a big crowd, Blondie," he laughed. They both turned to re-examine the audience since he went and brought it up and Rapunzel giggled into her other hand.

"Nervous?"

"A little bit," she admitted. He smiled again at her and whispered, "Here's a secret." She crept in closer. "Just smile and wave."

"Um, okay," Rapunzel mused. "That's what the employee said to do."

"Okay, not the best kept secret, but that's all you need to do," he let go of her hand and smiled, "I'll see you later."

Rapunzel waved at him, "Bye, Eugene!" She laughed as he turned to the white horse and said, "Max isn't _that _ugly."

Rapunzel sighed and placed her head on her fist as she gazed out into the crowd. Her driver turned to her and said, "Missy, it's time." With a flick of the riding whip, he sent the horses into a slow trot. Rapunzel immediately straightened up and looked around.

And she smiled, and she waved.

**Okay, I don't care if this is not accurate to the real parade, nor do I care. I hope you've enjoyed this and please click that itty-bitty blue button down there that says, 'Review' and please leave some kind words. **


	11. A Magical Coronation

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the movies mentioned or their characters. CORONATION TIME! This chapter was hmm, okay, I guess, to write because I had to spend time watching the OFFICIAL videos, and it took FOREVER. I didn't know about their procession through Hyde Park and so when I found a YouTube video for it. . . *Slams forehead against table* **

**Okay, this chapter is starting to get at me cause I don't feel like writing it, but when I get all this official stuff done, I can start getting creative. *Rubs hands together and chuckles evilly***

The parade lasted for nearly four miles as the procession moved on through Hyde Park. Rapunzel was so touched when she noticed all the little girls dressed as her. She didn't think she was that special, but, here were people calling out her name, and when she waved at them, she got a little warm feeling in her heart. The other princesses were waving and smiling at the assembly as well, and before Rapunzel knew it, they had arrived at Kensington Palace.

The carriages stopped for a moment, causing Rapunzel to stop waving for a moment and call to the driver, "What happened?"

"Them security needs to move all them's people out of the way so's we can pass through," the driver explained patiently. The princess smiled in response and settled back in her seat and waved at the growing crowd some more.

Soon Snow White moved ahead, but Rapunzel could barely see from her seat in the very back. She heard Maximus start neighing and she called out at the unruly horse, "Settle down, Max! Don't act like that!" The horse turned to stare at her; Rapunzel took the opportunity, "And if you do, I'll give you an apple."

The horse snorted in happy response and settled down for the horse trainer who gave the princess a grateful nod.

Rapunzel giggled and straightened her skirt as she smiled to herself. She never had thought that her little story could have such a big impact on the world. Of course, she couldn't stop gaping when she heard that Disney had been secretly filming the whole adventure. Eugene almost had a not-freaking-out-but-he-WAS-freaking-out attack and she had yelled, "And you didn't rescue me?"

But, she now smiled to herself, if they had rescued me, things never would have been the way that they turned out. She never would have met Eugene, and goodness knows what might have happened to him.

Her thoughts were then interrupted with a jerk to the carriage. She caught her wig that was falling and glanced over the side. The driver turned to her and called, "We's moving now!" Obviously.

Rapunzel continued to smile and wave as the manager and Eugene had advised her, and she glanced ahead to see what was happening.

While she had been thinking to herself, the other princesses had slowly made their way to the front porch, so to speak, of Kensington Palace. Each one, in turn, had been royally announced by the royal announcer, and a man, who Rapunzel secretly thought wore clothes that looked like Eugene's old thief clothes, carefully helped them down. They were each introduced to their own little charge who was dressed to look like them and they found their position among the other princesses.

She watched Max follow behind Tiana, and the announce acknowledged, "It is with great spirit, I announce to you, Rapunzel's trusty steed, Maximus!" The crowd cheered as Max neared the porch where the other princesses had gathered. Rapunzel watched the horse with great excitement, and then she gasped at the horse. The horse did not like being led about on a rope and before anyone could do anything, he jumped up into the air, raising his two front hooves.

Rapunzel looked on in alarm, but her driver assured her that the horse, the trainer, and everyone else was fine. Rapunzel gave a weak smile and thought, "The horses in England are very unruly." She then felt the pins holding her blonde braid into a braid snap. She spied the end of the braid coming undone and she grabbed the lot with a hand and tried to cover it the best she could.

She looked ahead at the horse trainer (who held the horses' reins that were used to restrain them) who nodded to the driver and the driver nodded and started the horses. Rapunzel showed off her biggest smile as the crowd shouted, "RAPUNZEL!" She held on to her braid with one hand, and waved with the other as she tried to keep the braid from unraveling more.

Rapunzel smiled all the more warmly and she felt a little blush overcome her when she heard the royal announcer announce, "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it is my honor to present today's guest of honor, Rapunzel!" The carriage slid neatly to a stop and the man who wore Flynn Rider clothes carefully helped her down, her having only one hand available and all.

"Thank you!" Rapunzel squealed as she touched the ground.

"My honor, your highness," and he turned to a little girl who held a bouquet of flowers and said, "this is Elena. She is you." The little British girl who was dressed like Rapunzel waved politely and offered the flowers to Rapunzel. The ex-lost princess squealed and said gratefully, "Thank you!"

Elena smiled and Rapunzel took the little girl's hand and they walked into position. Rapunzel smiled the hardest she had ever smiled when the cameras flashed and the crowd cheered and pushed each other out of the way for a better look. Elena smiled warmly as she leaned to Rapunzel, "Isn't it exciting that you're going to be a Disney Princess?"

Rapunzel smiled and said through her teeth so that the camera people would not be disappointed, "Oh, yes, I've been waiting for this day for a long time!" Elena smiled at her answer and whispered back, "Congratulations." Rapunzel could only beam at the girl as people pushed and shoved for a good picture-taking position.

Rapunzel enjoyed the whole party immensely. After all the pictures had been taken, she and the other princesses and tykes walked backstage where they waited for it to begin. Rapunzel said goodbye to Elena, who went to sit in the audience.

The stage itself was made to look like a castle, and a crowd had eagerly gathered for the long-awaited ceremony. Fairy Godmother introduced herself to the crowd as the hostess and started teaching all the little girls and boys how to wave and bow and curtsy for the princesses.

While the other girls chatted excitedly, Rapunzel addressed her hair problem. The end of the braid had become dreadfully unraveled, and so her quick emerald eyes darted about for a solution. She happened to find a golden brush lying about and she attacked the hair hurriedly. She knotted the end to look like the rest of the braid, re-attached the falling blossoms and straightened her skirt and smiled in satisfaction. She felt the butterflies in her nervous stomach increase when she heard a girl start singing, (The Glow, as she learned it was called), signaling the princesses. She smiled to herself and closed her eyes and swayed softly to the soothing music.

The butterflies in her stomach only doubled when she realized that the other princesses had started slowly filing out to the stage where Fairy Godmother stepped aside and one by one, the Disney Princesses entered, and waved to the crowd. Rapunzel peered through the white silky curtains that were separating her from the large crowd, and watched wide-eyed as each princess did a little dance for the crowd. Dance? She didn't have a dance! At least not one planned!

Rapunzel promptly gulped.

The song soon ended when Tiana had gone out, and clapping arose from the crowd. She could hear Fairy Godmother say, "Oh, my, look at you all! Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan and Tiana, and Rapunzel is on her way!" Rapunzel put on an odd face. What did she mean, on her way? She was right here! She suppressed the urge to stick her face out and tell the crowd, "I'm over here!"

Fairy Godmother continued, "But before she arrives, we need her prince! Ladies and gentleman, princes and princesses, I introduce to you, Flynn Rider!" Rapunzel giggled to herself when she heard heroic music start playing and the immense crowd started cheering. She saw him through the curtain dash to the stage and, to add to her giggling, started strucking poses for the crowd.

Fairy Godmother smiled and said warmly, "NOW, we are ready. It is my honor to introduce to you, our lady of honor, Rapunzel!" A flourish of trumpets tooted as Rapunzel calmed herself down and walked graciously through the curtains. The butterflies died down in her when she realized that most of the crowd was small children. The audience clapped and cheered as she pushed back her purple cape and did the first thing she thought of; she curtsied with a little bow.

"Children," Fairy Godmother addressed the kids that were all in the front of the audience, "let's do our royal wave!" The children obediently raised their hands and waved them side to side. Rapunzel smiled and waved back at them as Fairy Godmother said proudly, "That's right!"

Rapunzel straightened as bright and cheery music started playing and Eugene put a reassuring arm around her. All the anticipation and planning for this moment! She could hardly contain her excitement as the singer who had sung, 'The Glow', Shannon Saunders, started singing, to Rapunzel's delight and surprise, "_All those days, watching from the windows, all those years, outside looking in, all that time, never even knowing, just how blind I've been."_

Eugene leaned to her and asked softly, "What happened to your hair?"

Rapunzel peered down at the unraveling locks and sighed to see that the pins had come undone, again. Her impromptu hair job hadn't worked out as well as she had hoped.

Rapunzel smoothed the blonde hair and whispered back, "It came undone. Don't worry, it'll be fine." She smiled at Eugene as if to reassure the ex-thief, but HE didn't need the reassuring (he WAS Flynn Rider) as much as she did.

_"Now I'm here, blinking in the starlight, now I'm here, and suddenly I see, standing here, it's oh, so, clear, I'm where I'm meant to be," _Shannon added. Rapunzel broke apart from Eugene and started waving to the little fan girls in the front row. She was pretty proud of herself to remember to wave to the people in the back.

The melody wasn't as soft and melodious as the first time Rapunzel had sung it, but she found herself enjoying it more and more as Shannon continued, "_And at last I see the light, and it's like the fog has lifted," _and Rapunzel turned to see Eugene holding the crown he had pulled out of the satchel and he beckoned her to bend. She fell gracefully to one knee as he carefully lowered the crown and rested it gently on her head.

The song faded from Rapunzel's ears as she straightened and took his hands in hers. His smile made her smile grow wider as she turned to the crowd and waved enthusiastically to the gathering. She turned carefully so that everyone could get a chance to peek at the glistening crown.

She then turned to Eugene who had folded his arms in a Flynn Rider stance and teased softly, "What are you doing? Showing off?"

He smirked at her good-naturedly and answered, "Yeah, for my adoring fans," and he waved at the crowd. Rapunzel rolled her eyes at him, and waved more determinedly than he did. She wasn't going to let him get all the attention.

"_All those days, chasing down a daydream, all those years, living in a blur, all that time, never truly seeing things, the way they were," _Shannon started on Eugene's part of the song. Rapunzel squealed and poked him to draw his attention to that fact. The other princesses started swaying to the music. He rolled his eyes to her delight and offered her his hands. She eagerly took them and he led them to the higher step.

"_Now he's here, shining in the starlight, now he's here, suddenly I know, if he's here, it's crystal clear, I'm where I'm meant to go," _Shannon sang. Rapunzel smiled to see that the girl was singing in her point of view, and she turned to Eugene who whispered, "She's messing up the lyrics!"

Rapunzell giggled and smiled slightly but it faded when she whispered back, "I wish Pascal could see this."

"Oh, I bet the little frog is stuffing himself with a bush full of fruit right now," he tried to reassure her.

"Chameleon, Eugene! And besides," she added, "he can't eat that much." She started swaying to the tune of the music and encouraged the prince-consort to do the same, which he quickly refused. He didn't like dancing THAT much.

_"And at last I see the light, and it's like the fog has lifted, and at last I see the light, and it's like the sky is new!" _Rapunzel frowned at the ex-thief and said firmly, "I want you to dance with me!" He smiled and answered, "All right, Blondie." He took her hand and they walked down the step. He bowed to the princess and Rapunzel curtsied in return, and he took her hand, and she did a little dip.

The amount of room for dancing on the crowded stage was limited, but they were able to do a few sways and dips in the time allotted. She twirled and he drew her back to him. Her hand that he had been holding felt warm against his hand, and he gently kissed it. Rapunzel blushed and he turned to her and said, "I love you."

Rapunzel sighed happily and whispered, "I love you more."

He answered simply, "I love you most."

_"And it's warm and real and bright, and the world has somehow, shifted, all at once everything looks different, now that I see you, now that I see you!" _Shannon finished the song as Eugene popped a kiss on his glowing wife's cheek. She giggled and blushed.

_"Now that I see you." _

As soon as the song was finished, the crowd starting clapping and cheering immediately and enthusiastically. Eugene nodded to his adoring crowd and disappeared behind the white curtain. Rapunzel picked up her cape and beamed when Fairy Godmother announced,"I present to you, Princess Rapunzel! It is now time to stand and bow or curtsy. Go on, that's it!" The children in the front all stood up and either bowed or curtsied, according to their gender.

Fairy Godmother beamed as she called, "Splendid, everyone, splendid!" And then they all posed for pictures with all TEN Disney Princesses.

**I named the girl who looked like Rapunzel Elena, cause I wanted to. I'm going to see if I can fix the grammar mistakes in my writing. I hoped you enjoyed it!**


	12. Getting Ready for the Party

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own any of these Disney movies, but I do own this story! Bwuhahahahahahaha! Sorry that this chapter took forever, I was being lazy. I just went to the Disney store on Monday and we got stuff and on the big TV over the entire store, it played Rapunzel's Mood Swings scene and I said the whole scene with my mouth but with Rapunzel's voice and it was GAW! Amazing. **

The portal soon opened up and out burst the three royal white carriages. They sped up to the stairs of the balcony and servants instantly dashed over to assist them. A small crowd came about as Rapunzel raced up to Queen Catherine and King William, who were waiting with warm smiles, on the balcony and gave them a large hug.

"Oh, my goodness, Mama, that was amazing!" Rapunzel squealed excitedly as she let go of her parents and grabbed the crown from the top of her head. She shoved the wig on a bit more as she handed the crown to her father and beamed happily.

"You can tell me all about it later, sweetheart, but you need to go eat and get dressed for the ball," Catherine smiled as William handed Rapunzel back the crown and gave her a squeeze.

"Oh, don't worry," Rapunzel answered quickly as she tried to balance the lot of hair with one of her hands as she smiled anxiously, "we all ate in London, so I'll just go get dressed." With a quick nod from the Queen, Rapunzel dipped and raced through the mahogany doors. She carefully pushed up the wig with one hand and grasped the crown in her other, (for she knew that if she didn't hold on to it, the thing would fall off), and ran down the halls.

When she raced around a bend, the wig nearly fell off of her noggin, causing her to screech and try to salvage the thing. When Rapunzel finally realized that she couldn't keep going on like this, she looked about for a random servant to help.

She noticed a royal guard coming toward her and she quickly hissed, "Hey!" When he turned, Rapunzel whispered loudly, "What's your name?"

"Esau, your highness," the guard replied, confused. He scratched the back of his neck in even more confusion when the small princess giggled and grinned, "Perfect." She gestured for him to come to her, and told him to hold out his arms. He gasped when Rapunzel pulled at her wig, releasing the last of the pins, and plopped the whole thing in his arms. She ran her hands through her brown hair and giggled. Esau looked at her like she had gone insane as she bounced down the hall, calling after her, "Take it to my dressing room!"

Rapunzel leapt into the air, now completely carefree from her hair, and danced about in glee. She was finally free from her long blonde hair! By wearing the wig, she had realized that she did not miss it anymore.

She rounded the corner and was instantly shoved to the side and shushed. Rapunzel frowned and shoved the brown locks out of her face to see Ariel and Belle with their fingers to their lips. They carefully pointed around the next corner and smiled. Cinderella giggled slightly and Rapunzel, curious, looked around the bend.

In the middle of the vast hall there was a large amount of sidekicks gathered about. While most of them were watching and cheering, there was several in the center of it all and they were arguing most ardently.

Sebastian was yelling loudly with his claw stuck out determinedly in the face of Mushu, who was pointing a red finger at the crab. When Sebastian tried to snap off Mushu's thin hand, the dragon was easily able to evade his grasp.

Flik and Pascal were battling each other by waving their paws and wings in each other's faces. When Flik had whacked Pascal especially hard, the angered chameleon had thrown out his tongue and he eate the bird, but Flik then escaped and they went back to use their paws and wings.

Aurora's owl was most set upon eating Ray, who lit his light and rubbed it all in the owl's face, causing the owl to sneeze. Once the owl recovered, they started to dart about the room, flying out of each other's way just in time.

Jaq had started to crawl all around Abu, who kept trying to catch the nimble mouse. Jaq had been able to steal his fez, causing the monkey to go ape and he chased the little mouse around the circle.

Cogsworth had decided to pick on someone his own size, kind of. He had bent down enough to touch noses with a riled up dwarf, who most certainly was Grumpy. The two kept poking each other to no end, and what the princesses had been smiling about was that they had been arguing, all of them, about _them._

"Oh, I am so mad! Ar-ray-al is better than your, your Chinese princess!" Sebastian spat and he clapped his claw in Mushu's direction again.

"Oh, sorry, Crabby Boy, but Mulan kicks that mermaid's butt!" Mushu challenged. He licked his finger and touched it to his other arm and smirked, "Yeah, I'm on fire."

The Owl had nearly bit off Ray's light when the Cajun firefly had dissed the lost princess. He had also successfully cornered the bug in a corner and had nearly eaten him when Ray got all in his face, causing him to be temporarily blind.

Jaq had crawled his way up to Abu's ears, and he opened them wide and shouted into his ear drums, "Cinderelly!" Abu squeaked and smacked his ear, which Jaq easily evaded, and yelled in his shrilly voice, "Yasmine!"

Flik and Pascal only went at it even harder. Pascal cornered the shivering bird and caught him with his nimble tail. With one quick peck to his side, Flik was able to squeeze out of his grip and write in the air fiercely, "Pocahontas!" Pascal turned into the color of Rapunzel's hair and folded his arms in a smug sort of way. Flik rolled his eyes and he charged at him, causing Pascal to be knocked off of his feet. This made the small reptile charge again at the hummingbird.

Cogsworth and Grumpy were having a yelling contest about their princesses.

"Snow White is better than that, that, bookworm!" Grumpy snarled and he poked Cogsworth in the shoulder.

"At least Belle is not naive and stupid like your princess who's named after a color!" the former-clock yelled and he poked the dwarf back.

"Too much book learning is not good for girls! They start getting ideas!" Grumpy replied determinedly.

"Oh, yeah?" Cogsworth challenged.

"Yeah!"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah!"

Rapunzel giggled into her hand and turned back to the other princesses, who was also giggling and bearing wide smiles.

"Should we stop them?" Rapunzel smiled. She held up her arms in confusion as the other princesses slowly shook their heads.

"They'll get over it," Aurora smiled.

"Come on, we need to get our hair done before the ball!" Cinderella exclaimed. The princesses linked arms and two-by-two, they marched down the other way, but before they could get to far, a servant stopped Rapunzel and Pocahontas, who was with her, and informed the princess breathlessly, "Smith is here, your highness!"

"Smith? John Smith?" Pocahontas asked curiously. Rapunzel bit her lip and she threw the servant a dark look before she exclaimed, "Oh, no, he said Smee! Hook's right hand man!" When the servant threw HER a look, Rapunzel gave him a look she had learned from her mama, her 'Don't-question-royalty' look. The man merely nodded and ran back to where he had come.

"You invited Captain Hook's assistant?" Pocahontas asked, not believing in Rapunzel's on the spot name change. Rapunzel merely nodded and started running to catch up with the other Disney Princesses.

* * *

The princesses all assembled in the largest of the private dressing rooms, and servants rushed to help them. There was the dressmakers who trimmed, washed and styled their hair into the perfect hairstyles. There was the ladies-in-waiting to help them into their carefully made dresses and there was servants to assist with the putting on of the jewelry.

Rapunzel was leaning against the wall of the castle, and was groaning loudly (for one of her ladies-in-waiting was tightening her corset) when she noticed the door slightly open. She was curious to who it was, considering that the guards had strict orders to not let anyone in except their mothers, best friends and servants. She grimaced when the ties of her unbearable undergarment were tightened, and closed her eyes to shield the pain. Her stomach had suddenly started to hurt, and she groaned in pain.

When the lady in waiting finished tying it off, Rapunzel opened her eyes and spotted the visitor on a bench. Pascal was pacing while he clenched his fist and punched his open palm. He was muttering and chirping to himself angrily, and he was changing colors rapidly. Only when Rapunzel called, "Pascal!" did the little chameleon stop.

"Are you okay?" she asked kindly. The chameleon sighed and hopped over to her and was able to get on her shoulder before he started miming and muttering and chirping furiously. He was so into his act that he didn't notice Rapunzel catch the attention of the other princesses, point to him and mouth, "He is so cute." The other princesses giggled in response, and Pascal finally noticed them. He snarled and jumped down from Rapunzel's shoulder, obviously seeing how she wasn't listening.

"Pascal!" Rapunzel called after him, a bit of laughter in her voice, but he answered her with a proud chirp, and headed toward the door. He swerved in a zigzag line, and hastily squeaked and covered his eyes with his tail when he accidentally saw Mulan getting help with the putting on of her dress. He motioned for a guard to open the door and he walked out with a huff.

"I hope his feelings aren't hurt," Rapunzel said sulkingly. She sat down in a chair and winced when the thin chair poked her sore back. Tiana smiled sympathetically and called over to the distraught princess, "I'm sure he'll be fine." Rapunzel smiled back at her gratefully.

"Now, let's get a move on!" Madeline called out, and the maids, ladies-in-waiting and servants started hurrying.

Mulan's black hair had grew back over do time, and it was twisted into a thick bun and it was fastened together with flowers studded with diamonds. Belle's dark brown hair had been twisted into a beehive, and a bronze crown had been put into Ariel's hair, giving it a large amount of height. Cinderella's hair had been divided into three parts with a silver band holding her bangs down and Snow White had her black locks curled and fluffed. Pocahontas had her long black hair hiked up into a ponytail, Jasmine had gold brackets on her ponytail and Aurora's had her's in an intricate bun. Tiana had her hair fluffed and Rapunzel's lighty and airy brown hair was pinned with a orange flower barette.

"Hey, Cinderella," Rapunzel called over to the older girl who was receiving her blue shawl, "do you know if Fairy Godmother has arrived?"

"Hmm, she said she was coming with The Three Good Fairies and Mama Odie. Maybe you should send a guard to search," Cinderella suggested as she slipped on her new necklace. Rapunzel nodded and told a guard to go see if he could find them.

Once all the princesses had been shoved into their tight dresses, the maids each presented them with their own respective accessories, and by the time the sun was setting on that gorgeous autumn night, the princesses were ready for the ball.

Rapunzel motioned for the guards who were opening and closing the doors to open them a bit, and Rapunzel, Tiana and Snow White stuck their heads out into the hall to see if anyone was there. Once they were sure that the coast was clear and that their fine dresses wouldn't get ruined, the ladies-in-waiting carefully took hold of the end of their full skirts and carried them as one by one the princesses filed out of the dressing room.

Queen Catherine, Eudora, Queen Leah, and Fa Li came about the corner, fully dressed and surrounded by ladies-in-waiting, and they stopped to greet the girls.

"My, how lovely you all look!" Queen Catherine smiled warmly. Rapunzel blushed and did a little curtesy.

"Y'all have grown up so fast," Eudora said pleasantly.

"Now, the ball is starting in a few minutes," Queen Leah warned them.

"And you all are making your grand entrance," Catherine pointed out. The Disney Princesses nodded and the older mothers curtsied in return, and when they turned the corner, Rapunzel said to the ladies-in-waiting, "You all may go now, we'll be fine." The ladies-in-waiting curtsied and raced around the corner to pamper the mothers. Rapunzel and the others started giggling, and without much thought, they each picked up their skirts and ran as fast as they could to the room behind the grand staircase.

Here they sat down on the long marble bench and fidgeted nervously with their fingers.

Rapunzel smiled at the other girls. Somehow, it was comforting to know that they were as nervous as she was. Speaking of nervous, she hoped Eugene had somehow gotten ready without her. She knew that Maximus had been decorated with black straps and saddle and with all of his medals for the occasion, and oh! Pascal! she worried. She hoped that someone had found him and had wrestled him into the purple bow tie she had lying on her dresser.

And then, to add to her monsterous amount of anxiety, there was John Smith she had to worry about. The man had arrived, to her misfortune, and now there was the problem of hiding him from Pocahontas for the next eight hours, and over the next few days if he decided to stay a while.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Big Nose, in his new Viking-inspired suit made by Killer, knocked on the door, and Rapunzel welcomed him in.

"Hello, Big Nose, girls, this is one of the Pub Thugs, Big Nose," Rapunzel smiled. The girls smiled pleasantly at the man and stood and curtsied for him. He in turn bowed to each one individually and then he turned to Rapunzel and said, "I just wanted to wish you congratulations, Princess, on being official now." He bowed again and pointed to the door, "I have to go find a seat for myself and Erica." Rapunzel gave him a nod and he waltzed out of the room.

"Aww, he found true love," Belle breathed dreamily. She, and the other princesses, so loved happy endings.

"Yes, he did, I thought I had told you that?" Rapunzel asked curiously.

"You probably did, but it's sweet just the same. What happened to the other Pub Thugs?" Mulan wondered.

"Well," Rapunzel shifted to the side of the bench to face them all and counted off of her fingers, "Hook Hand has his own concert hall and he's going to be playing the piano for the ball, (squee!), Big Nose is going out with Erica, which is really true love, it's adorable, Tor does all the royal flower arrangements, Gunther has a job decorating all the lords' houses, Ulf is a fantastic mime, Atilla has a job as a baker here in the castle, Bruiser and Killer work on a lot of clothesat a clothing shop and Fang does little puppet shows in the square and Vlad still collects unicorns."

"Wow, that's a lot of dreams," Snow White grinned.

"Yes, and there's a lot more Pub Thugs, but that would take a lot more time to explain," Rapunzel answered. "But even though they're all pursuing their dreams, they still all gather and hang out in the Snuggly Duckling, and occasionally Eugene and I join them."

"You go to a tavern?" Pocahontas asked.

"Oh, I don't drink, I just go for the company, and the cupcakes. Pascal usually comes along to hang with the owner, who is not such a bad guy, even though he sometimes DOES cook chameleons, which is gross," Rapunzel stuck out her tongue and the other princesses nodded.

"You'll have to take us there sometime," Cinderella said.

"There are bar fights?" Snow White asked worriedly.

"Relax, they don't happen that often, at least not in the tavern in my hometown," Belle said.

"I can stop any bar fight," Mulan smiled. She drew out her Chinese fan and swished it around skillfully.

"Girls! Why are you talking about bars?" Mrs. Potts exclaimed. She had just come around the corner to hear the last remark.

"Oh, don't worry, Mrs. Potts, it's the Snuggly Duckling we're talking about, they only get into bar fights when they're fighting over a criminal to take to Father for a reward," Rapunzel giggled. She fingered her accessory, her golden mirror, and Mrs. Potts sighed, threw up her hands and said, "Very well."

Rapunzel slowly got up and peeked through the heavy scarlet curtain blocking their view from the ballroom. There was Hook Hand handing out the sheets of music to the other musicians and the servants were scurrying about like little ants to finish with the buffet. All the tables sit off to the edges of the room were large enough to sit several people at each one, and there was a particularly large one for the home royals.

The people had gathered and they were loitering about in their best outfits. Rapunzel could see Jane explaining to Tarzan, who looked remarkable in his father's suit, about the princesses and the curtains and Meg and Hercules were trying to pull apart Phil's horns from Pegasus' mane. She was able to find Pascal, a grumpy Pascal at that, sitting on the shoulder of her mama, who was talking to non other than Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

Rapunzel smiled to herself when she noticed the ten people at the front of the stairs, waiting for them to come down. All the Disney Princes were dressed sharply for the occasion, and she threw a little wave to the one in a black vest, who smiled and winked at her.

All the girls' heads jerked up when they heard a large team of musicians toot on the royal trumpets. Rapunzel let go of the curtain and stumbled into place at the front. Tiana and Mulan stood at either side of her and behind them the other princesses formed a triangle. They fluffed up their hair, extended one arm with their purse on it and the other arm took a large chunk of their dresses, and they all flashed their brilliant white smiles.

The crowd turned and hushed down to see the stairway light up with candles and the royal announcer rang out loudly, "And now, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I present to you, the ten Disney Princesses!" The horns tooted again as two guards slowly drew back the curtains, revealing the ten girls who each curtsied and they started to walk slowly and gracefully down the stairs. Hook Hand immediately started up the band with a slow classic, 'If You Wish Upon A Star'.

Rapunzel's merry green eyes sparkled as she led the group down the massive staircase. The whole crowd was in awe of the sight, but only more so did the princes, for their eyes were only on their girl.

The princesses were almost to the bottom of the staircase when behind them, not even more than fifty feet away, the room they had just been lounging blew up into a great explosion. The crowd gasped as the force of the fire shoved the princesses down the rest of the stairs. The princes instantly dashed forward and caught their particular girl. Rapunzel collapsed in Eugene's arms and watched his face in fright. He turned to her and held her close, wondering what the heck had happened.

The explosion slowly smoldered down, revealing a greenish fog, almost gas, and several girls in the audience screamed when who other than the cold hearted Maleficent walked out. Her yellow eyes surveyed the disarray with great pleasure as she slowly fingered her precious scepter.

She raised it high and cried evilly, "Surprise!"

**Cause everything was going too well...**


	13. A Party With Villains Is A Party Crashed

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own any of the mentioned Disney movies, wish I did, but I don't. I'm watching all the Disney movies that I haven't seen on YouTube and so far it was going pretty well until I couldn't watch 'Saludos Amigos' cause the person who made the video added their own annoying commentary and I barely made it through both of the Rescuers movies because the videomaker, in order for YouTube to not take off the videos, added clips of Ed, Edd 'n Eddy! It. Was. Very. Aggravating. To crossover (), she can hear the tree moving and Mulan's screaming coming from overhead, and, she is, after all, Mama Odie, she can sense these things, and it's rated T for the later chapters, like this one!**

The smoke started to slowly clear as the crowd stared at the evil fairy in stunned silence. The only thing that could be heard was the small sound of Aurora's voice saying, "Maleficent!" Maleficent seemed to take the comment as a compliment and said pleasantly, "I heard you were having a party for the newest Disney Princess, and I decided to stop by and pay my respects."

She chuckled loudly as she raised her hands in mock show and clapped them slowly, "Congratulations, Rapunzel! You can finally join all of the other heartless, dream crushing goody-two-shoes girls now!" Rapunzel's startled face instantly turned into a large frown as she shouted at the woman, "How dare you call them that!"

"Oh, now, no need to be harsh Rapunzel, I just wanted to stop by," Maleficent informed the girl. She tucked her scepter into her long cloak and turned to the smoldering room. But before she left, Maleficent turned and said cooly, "Oh, and there is someone else who wanted to say hello."

Rapunzel and the rest of the Disney Princesses and princes, since they were the only ones close enough to see anything against the green fog, squinted their eyes as the fog slowly faded until there was none left. Rapunzel couldn't see anyone until a figure came out of the shadows and said slowly, "Hello, dear."

Rapunzel's frown faded into a shocked and horrified face as Gothel stepped out of the shadows. Her hair was streaked grey and her hands were weak and wrinkly. She was fingering her beloved dagger, and she centered her icy cool blue eyes on Rapunzel and Eugene. She did not look happy.

Rapunzel finally found her voice and yelled in a frightened tone, "Gothel!" The vast room was so quiet that the shaken girl was able to hear footsteps coming from behind her. She jumped a bit as a smooth hand held her's and she looked up at the scared face of her real mother. King William patted her hand gently and then called in a booming voice, "What do you want, Gothel?" His loud voice echoed in the large ballroom, but Gothel didn't seem to be fazed in the slightest as she called out in a calm and cool voice, "Why, I came to pay my own good wishes to my daughter."

"She is NOT your daughter!" Catherine yelled loudly. The Queen gave Eugene a pleading look and he let go of the girl, though he still stood very near her. Catherine wrapped her arms around Rapunzel protectively and called out, "You are not welcome here!" Rapunzel tightened her grip around her mother as Gothel answered, "Oh, believe me, I wasn't thinking that I would be."

"I shall repeat, what do you want, Gothel?" The King yelled loudly. Gothel looked at him and said to him as if she was speaking to a child, "Why, WE just wanted to make the world even again."

"What the heck are you talking about?" Eugene yelled at her. His hands started to clench into fists as the ex-thief tried to control his short temper.

Gothel smirked at him cooly and slipped the knife into her cloak. "Why, we want to make the world even. You see, all of you, quote on quote, good guys," Gothel mockingly added air quotations, "have unmercifully beaten us, quote on quote, bad guys. So, we'll beat you 'good guys', and we'll be even."

Belle yelled from where she and Adam were protecting each other, "Meaning what exactly?"

Maleficent brought out her scepter from her cloak and leaned on it as she gazed into the brunette girl's eyes and said maliciously, "Revenge." From around the scary woman, out of the shadows came eight other Disney villains. Ursula crept out slowly with her tentacles creeping in and getting black slime everywhere. Jafar fingered his scepter and chuckled to himself. Dr. Facilier grinned a toothy grin as he spun his skull topped cane. Gaston folded his arms and sent his piercing eyes in Belle's direct. The girl only gave him a cold hard stare.

The Evil Queen stepped out, and just her very evil presence sent shivers down everyone else's spines. Evil Stepmother came out with her beloved and truly evil cat Lucifer, and the grim expression on her face was replaced with a delighted smile. Ratcliffe was sneering at them all, as if they were all mere peasants compared to him, and he clutched a gun in his hand, causing the Queen to draw Rapunzel closer. Shan Yu grinned his black-lipped grin and extended his arm and his black hawk landed on it with a smirk.

Rapunzel could hear the many gasps coming from the crowd, and the people who had been sitting had abruptly pushed back their chairs and stood up in alarm. Pascal, who had been on her mother's shoulder, crawled over to Rapunzel's shoulder and gave her a comforting nod. The little chameleon then turned and faced the fiends as the color of a fiery furnace.

Rapunzel could barely breathe as she eyed Mother Gothel. How could this woman, who had pretended to be her MOTHER for eighteen years, come back and seek revenge? She was grateful to hear her father's voice call out, "Guards! Maximus!" Instantly the doors to the ballroom exploded as squads of soldiers hurriedly filed in. They all marched into position and pointed their frying pans at the villains, Maximus at the front.

Gothel and the other villains looked from the soldiers to each other and burst into uncontrollable amounts of laughter. Rapunzel stiffened with rage and she clenched her fists. Why were these villains laughing? They were making her extremely angry.

Gothel managed to get a hold of herself and put a hand over her heart to catch her breath. "Oh, please, there's no need for that!" Gothel chuckled again. The old woman then calmed down and said in a serious tone, "Just give us the princesses and we shall leave."

The fathers of said girls, King Triton, the Sultan, King William, Maurice, King Stefan, Powhatan and Fa Zhou shouted as they drew closer to the villains, "Never!" The princes only tightened their grip on the princesses and faced the rogues with angry faces.

Maleficent merely smiled at their response and answered cooly, "Well, it's either hand them over peaceably or we'll take over Corona." Rapunzel gulped. Corona was her home, and she loved it dearly, and for the Disney Villains to take it over would be a crime. They would terrorize the village, enslave the occupants and destroy what her ancestors and parents had carefully preserved for centuries. She was the princess, and she needed to protect her people.

Rapunzel managed to slip out of her mother's arms and opened her mouth to speak but before she could say a word, a hand clapped itself over her lips, keeping her from talking. She looked at Eugene, who's face was screwed into a determined look and he whispered in her ear, "You are not going with them." Rapunzel gave him the best indignant look she could from under his hand and tried to push his arm off. The Queen instantly noticed them and wrapped her arms around Rapunzel even more tightly to keep her from running away. She was not about to lose her daughter again.

The only sounds in the large room were those of the occupants' anxious breathing and that of Rapunzel's struggling. Gothel sighed, impatient for an answer and shouted at the girl irritably, "Rapunzel, please, stop with the mumbling, you know how I HATE THE MUMBLING!" Gaston scratched his nose where the bookcase had fallen on his nose and said to himself, "I experienced that firsthand."

The other princesses were obviously hesitating. Eugene and the Queen were obviously not letting Rapunzel do it, but should they do it in hope that maybe nine youths might do the same as ten? When Rapunzel wouldn't stop struggling, King William shouted at them, "They shall not go with you. Leave now or else we shall have to resort to violence."

"Well," Jafar shrugged, "your choice." Maleficent gave him a nod and then raised her scepter and yelled, "Then I shall summon all the forces of HELL!" and she rapped her scepter loudly on the marble floor. From all around the room, black holes opened up and out of the spirling holes came a loud weapon bearing legion of Maleficent's minions. The little pig faced monsters stormed in with their axes and swords, screaming a mighty war cry.

Maleficent cackled and out of the holes came the shadows and they creeped along the walls, making the crowd shout in fright, and finally the mighty battle cry of a thousand Hun warriors came running in. Bare-chested and weirdly colored grey, they stormed into the castle.

Several of the crowd screamed, and Rapunzel gulped, frightened. Eugene grabbed her hand and yelled loudly, "RUN!" He pulled Rapunzel along with him into a run, and all the hours of careful hemming, stitching and basting was lost as she took no care to keep her dress together as she ran to keep pace with him. The whole room was filled with screaming as men, women, children, animals and whatever was in between raced to the doors.

Except for Maximus and his crew. He immediately went into action, growling at the soldiers to keep up as he grabbed a frying pan and trotted about, hammering goons and neighing in a war cry way as he went about. The Captain drew out his sword and slaughtered a great number of yelling minions.

Whilst Maximus and the royal guards were able to take out quite a few men, Maleficent called out over the ruckus, "Kill no one, take them all prisoners and take them to the dungeons, but if you find any of the princesses, take them to us!" She then waved her hand and the male villains who wanted to get their hands dirty went to work.

Jafar transformed into a great and powerful genie, with his wicked black hair and sharp gold eyes. He laughed an evil cackle as he pointed his fingers this way and that. He created a large cage and was able to capture Donald, Goofy, Jose Carioca, both Pennys, Eilonwy, Piglet and Roo. He spun the cage on his little finger and flung it into a corner of the room. He then cast a large gate over one of the doors, cutting off escape, and when the people pounding on the door grouped, he threw the remaining three gates around them.

Gaston and Ratcliffe cornered people with their guns and Shan Yu and Dr. Facilier went after the people who had escaped. Dr. Facilier summoned his shadows and they ran after them.

Eugene dragged the panting Rapunzel away from the ballroom. After a few years living in the castle, he knew his way around the bends and hallways enough to lose them and not get lost himself.

Rapunzel couldn't speak, she could barely breath, she could barely RUN. After several minutes of nonstop running from the villains, Rapunzel didn't hear the sounds of footsteps coming their way. She took this opportunity to try to make out, "Eugene, I can't go any longer, please, stop!"

She sighed with relief and panted as he managed to bring the two of them to a stop. The two had made their way into the kitchen area of the castle. They had used a trick door to enter a small secluded area where the pots and pans were kept. As the two tried to catch their breath, Eugene said, "Now, Rapunzel, I have to go back there."

"WHAT!" was all that Rapunzel could think, and that was why she said it aloud. "Why would you go back there?" She buried her head in her hands to make it seem that she was extremely tired when she was really trying to hold back a sob.

"Because they need to be stopped, that's why." He stooped down to her height and pried away one of her hands to reveal her watery eyes. He smiled gently at her as he slowly tucked a bit of brown hair behind her ear. His efforts were in vain however, for the lock was too short to stay behind her ear and it fell back.

"It won't stay tucked away," Rapunzel managed to make out. She tried suppressing her growing sobs but her efforts only made it worst.

"And neither can I," he answered her quietly. She looked up at his strong face and she could see the determination in his brown eyes. With a tear rushing down her pale cheek, she instantly drew him into a hug and started crying. He smiled softly at her and held her tight, and he never wanted to let her go.

"I'll be back," he soothed her. He gently pushed her back to look at her and added, "I promise."

Rapunzel couldn't help but giggle at that. She had learned from him that Flynn Rider could keep a promise like he could stop thieving, but when Eugene Fitzherbert made a promise, he never ever broke that promise. Ever.

"Okay," she whispered to him.

"Stay here, there's a vast supply of frying pans," Eugene smiled. Rapunzel giggled and called out to him as he slowly closed the door, "Be careful." He nodded and closed the door.

Rapunzel gave him a little wave before she groaned and sat down against the wall. She hugged her knees to herself and started rocking, trying to calm her nerves. She was shaking not only because of fear of the villains or of the nippy October autumn air coming through the small window, but because of the fact that Gothel had returned.

'How could she do that?' she thought to herself. 'She just shows up and why does she want me? I have no golden hair left. My one tear had had the remaining power from it. She is just here to ruin all of our lives.' Rapunzel sniffed to herself as she sucked in a breath and tried humming to calm her nerves. The tune that she hummed was a sweet melody that she remembered well and always kept close to her heart.

"_And at last I see the light, and it's like the fog has lifted, and at last I see the light, and it's like the sky is new," _Rapunzel started to sing. The calming song helped her as she added, "_And it's warm and real and bright, and the world has somehow shifted. All at once, everything is different, now that I see you." _

Her humming helped her a bit as she relaxed somewhat. She was finally so still that she noticed something on her arm.

"Pascal, is that you?" Rapunzel asked curiously. She smiled when the little creature slowly revealed himself from her shoulder, shivering like he had been packed in a snowball.

"Oh, Pascal!" she squealed. She grabbed him from her shoulder and gave him quick little kisses on his cheeks. The chameleon turned back to normal as he tried to swat her lips away from himself. She stopped of course, and then squeezed him tight in a hug and exclaimed, "Oh, Pascal!"

Their little embrace was interrupted by a loud thump and a scream coming from outside the door. Rapunzel instantly stood up and grasped a large frying pan from the many stacks of skillets. Pascal gulped to himself as he realized that she was going out.

Rapunzel carefully opened the door a tad and she and Pascal peeked out. In the small hallway filled with doors, she wasn't able to see anything. However, Rapunzel's sharp ears heard a girl scream from behind a corner, "Let me go!" Another female voice shouted, "Hey, you little hog faced punk, let go of my hand!"

A creepy voice that made Rapunzel's spine tingle called, "Maleficent says I has to take youse prisoners, so's I am." Rapunzel carefully opened the rest of the door and slid against the wall to avoid detection. She hadn't been the wife of the kingdom's most notorious ex-thief and not know any sneaking tricks. She pressed her feet against the floor ankle first to avoid making any excess noise and peered around the corner.

There was two of Maleficent's queer and dumb minions, gruesome weapons in hand, trying to drag an obviously frightened Ariel and extremely ticked off Meg over to the dungeon. Rapunzel instantly formulated a plan. She dashed into the small room that they cornered in and up to the first minion. This one was tall and stupid, not noticing when she smacked the frying pan across his face and again on the top of his head. The other one had noticed her and ran to his companion's rescue but before he could do anything, she dropped the frying pan on his toes and when he started to jump up and down in pain, she hit him across the face and once he was down, another one across his back.

Ariel screamed as soon as Rapunzel came in and huddled into a corner. Meg gasped and backed away in panic, and once Rapunzel was finished, the brunette fell against the wall and slumped down to the floor in relief.

"Goodness," was all that the ex-lost princess could say.

"Thanks," Meg smiled as she crossed the room and helped both stricken girls up. "Who were those guys back there?"

"Those were the Disney Villains from all the Disney Princesses' fairytales," Ariel told her as the three girls straightened up.

"Yeah, so why-" Rapunzel started to say, but before she could say anything else Meg held out her hand to silence her and whispered, "What's that noise?"

The three girls and the one scared chameleon listened carefully as a sound of running people came their way. Rapunzel gasped and grabbed their hands and shouted, "Run!" and she dragged them to the frying pan closet.

**Yeah, I can be dark, kinda, and yeah, I can be rated T. **


	14. Escaping

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own any of these movies, which is sad to say the least. If I did, I'd be a billionaire living off of the money that my products made but, please, I'm not THAT talented. I am but a humble FanFiction writer who types stories in my spare time. Crossover (), yeah yeah, whatever. I'll make it K+. I might use bad language though, just to let you be informed. *Evil cackle* **

Rapunzel hastily shut the door to the closet and fell on the floor, panting. Her running had only made the unbearable corset hurt even more on her already tiny waist and the fact that there was villains outside waiting to catch them did not help the situation. She gulped and tried with her nimble fingers to release the pink ties threaded through the purple corset like fabric on her dress. Curse fancy dresses.

Ariel, Meg and Pascal were also trying to catch their breath. The chameleon placed a hand, or paw, over his heart and took deep breathes. He turned to look at Rapunzel and gave her a look. They all stopped with their panting for a moment when they heard voices outside the door. Rapunzel and Meg gulped and carefully placed their ears onto the thick wooden door to try to make out whatever the people were saying.

"Where'd they go?" a nasally voice echoed throughout the closet. Rapunzel's heart pumped faster and faster when a deep, deep voice rang out, "Check all the doors, find them!"

Rapunzel knew in her heart of hearts that this storage closet was not that hard to find, so she acted quickly. Pascal hurriedly jumped off of her shoulder as she ran to a supply shelf and held out to each of the girls a frying pan.

Meg handled the thing gingerly as Rapunzel ran over to the window and tried to open it all the way. The thick glass was stuck, so when she pushed it up, it didn't move. She tugged it, shoved it, pulled it, and punched it in effort to try to open it. The glass was stuck firmly in place in the frame, and Rapunzel's tiny frame was no match for it.

"What are we supposed to do with these?" Meg wondered. Rapunzel groaned, annoyed, as she kicked the window with her feet, "Use it as a weapon!"

"A frying pan? Really?" Meg scowled. When the brunette didn't answer her, the Greek girl sighed and shoved the frying pan away. "Need any help, princess?" Rapunzel again didn't answer her, causing Meg to walk to the window, and she managed, with Rapunzel's insistent kicking, to open the window the rest of the way.

"Thanks," Rapunzel breathed out. Ariel and Pascal were listening carefully at the door, and Pascal immediately started chirping frantically.

"They're coming closer!" the red head shrieked.

"Get up, we're going!" Rapunzel hissed at her, and all three grabbed a frying pan. Ariel stuck her head out the window and whispered hurriedly to Rapunzel, "It's a ten foot jump!"

Rapunzel sighed and yelled, "Jump!" Ariel gulped and swung her feet out the window. The frying pan stuck in her elbow and her fingers crossed, the ex-mermaid jumped out the window and screamed. Rapunzel and Meg instantly stuck their head out the window to see two shadows pinning Ariel against the stone wall of the castle.

"Go!" Meg yelled at Rapunzel and the short brunette nodded. Pascal quickly crawled onto her shoulder and Rapunzel darted out the window with a frying pan. She fell lightly on her feet and faced the shadows. The parts of them that were against the wall she hit promptly, causing them to release Ariel and screech.

Meg hurriedly rummaged through the miscellaneous frying pans and cooking pots and was finally able to find a long plank of wood lying beneath a shelf. She grabbed it and fit in snugly into the lock on the door. Pushing her hair that had somehow made it out of her long and signature ponytail back, she whispered to herself, "Okay." She ran to the window when the door started to shake violently and the same nasally voice yelled, "Hey, what's going on in there?"

Leaping out the window, she joined Rapunzel, the chameleon and Ariel, who was on the verge of tears.

"Alright, mastermind, now what?" Meg asked Rapunzel sarcastically. Rapunzel frowned, displeased by the girl's attitude and whispered firmly back to her, "Come on." Rapunzel gently took Ariel's hand and the four of them carefully turned the bend. Rapunzel could hear her heart beating violently against her falling chest, and she hoped to all that was good and holy that she could get a chance to just breathe.

Rapunzel released Ariel's hand and they all peeked around the corner; the sight made Rapunzel cover her mouth in shock. She stiffled a scream as she surveyed the land with big eyes. They had come around to the front of the castle and were able to see the entire kingdom from their position.

Well, most of the kingdom.

The villains had not been joking when they said that they were going to take over Corona. The whole village, the place that Rapunzel had loved from the start, was in a state of disarray. The Huns had broken loose from the castle and they were plundering the houses. Many carried torches and threw them at the tightly knit houses. The Huns laughed loudly as the villagers raced out of their homes, carrying their children, money and whatever they could grab at a moment's notice.

The village square was that of chaos. The people were being terrorized by the big warriors and the fountain had fallen. Bits and pieces of everything was being trampled underfoot as the sounds of weeping and shouting was evident in the chaos.

Smoke filled the air as Rapunzel held back tears and said firmly, "Stay here." Meg nodded understandingly and Ariel barely moved at all. Rapunzel sighed to herself and creeped around the castle. Dread filled her being as she closed in on the balcony. She crawled up the stairs, Pascal still loyally on her shoulder, and stood up.

To her left, the entire yard had been destroyed. All the topiaries and paths, flowers and bushes, none of them were left standing as they wilted in the rotten filth. Rapunzel covered her mouth when she saw the dinosaurs, Aladar, Eema, Baylene and Neera, who had been too large to fit into the ballroom, lying limply in Corona's waters. She ran to get a better look. She could make out Plio, Suri, Zini and Yar, (she surprised herself that she remembered their names) leaping over them, trying to see if they were alright.

Her heart stopped when she saw Little Toot and his father getting unchained by two police boats and she tried to hard keep standing, for her legs had turned into jelly.

A scream came from inside the castle and she turned to it in shock. The scream echoed in her mind as pictures of people she loved flashed before her eyes. Mama, Father, Maximus; Eugene.

Eugene.

His name made her punch herself as she thought, 'How could I be so STUPID as to let him go back in there? How could I be?' She straightened up, for she had been standing on half bent legs this whole while. A fire lit up inside her normally happy green eyes as she whispered to herself, "I'm going in."

Pascal gulped to himself as Rapunzel marched swiftly to the mahogany doors. Her hands were on the golden knob when the door flung open toward her. She immediately dropped her frying pan and held out her hands behind her instinctively to catch her fall. A gasp escaped her as a voice called to her, "Are you alright?"

Rapunzel tossed her brown hair out of her face and groaned to herself. John Smith bent down to her height and asked her kindly, "Can I help you up?"

She nodded and he put out his hand. She carefully grabbed it and he pulled her back up. She gave him a small smile and he returned the gesture but they were interrupted by another particularly loud scream coming from indoors. Rapunzel and John Smith looked back at the castle, stunned for a moment before Rapunzel broke into a serious mode and grabbed his arm and yelled at him, "Come on!"

The settler was caught off guard as the small brunette dragged him around down the long staircase and around the corner. Rapunzel gestured for Ariel to give her her frying pan, and the red head gave it to her. Rapunzel swiftly tucked it into John's hand and whispered to him, "We have to go. NOW."

He looked at her, completely bewildered. The girl who had been walking gracefully down the stairs hadn't been red in the face and she didn't have fire in her blood, but this was that same girl, which scared him a bit, so he immediately nodded. Rapunzel gave him a quick nod before she grabbed Ariel's hand and said, "Come on."

The group of five, armed and ready, crossed the front of the castle with nary any trouble, but once they had stepped a few feet into the village, trouble awaited them. A large grey Hun warrior grinned to himself and yelled terrifyingly as he jumped down from a smoldering window. Rapunzel and Ariel screamed as he reached back for a sword that was in a sheath on his back. He skillfully brought it out and gleaned his grey rotting teeth.

"Now, come with me, or face my sword," the Hun yelled at them.

"Well, your sword sounds and smells better," John Smith smirked. Rapunzel gave the blonde haired man a smirk herself as the Hun growled his mangy teeth and yelled a Chinese war cry and ran at the man. Rapunzel grabbed Meg and Ariel's arms and pulled them out of the fight. The three girls watched, horrified, as the Hun advanced faster and faster on John Smith. Pascal shivered and looked up at Rapunzel worriedly. She gave him a sad face and continued to watch the fight.

Eugene had been able to take down half a dozen soldiers with his frying pan, and even though John Smith had only one guy, the man he was fighting was three times the size of the scrawny-not-so-brawny soldiers of Corona. John was able to hold his own for a bit, dodging and swatting at the Hun, but the mammoth man was gaining on him, and he could only hold on for so much longer.

Rapunzel bit her lip and held back the urge to struck the Hun with her frying pan. She felt horrible about having dragged everyone into this mess. She looked back and forth between the frying pan and the pair and ulitmately did what her gut told her to do.

She knew that this man was no thief, he was probably more of a thug. For her multiple trips to the Snuggly Duckling, she had stopped quite a few bar fights with her frying pan, even though it hadn't worked in the past, Rapunzel now knew that knock out point in men like him.

The nose.

She grabbed her frying pan and marched right into the duo. Ariel noticed and frantically called at her, "Rapunzel, stop!" Meg added her own, "Honey, that's suicide!"

Rapunzel didn't listen to them, (she was awfully stubborn sometimes) and this made the chameleon shrinked back in horror. He was going to die, and by the hand of this man, no, not man, KILLING MACHINE! Pascal whimpered as he crossed his fingers and closed his eyes.

What few people might know about Rapunzel was usually she was in control. With a smirk she had recently required, she blocked a swing from the Hun and banged the pan on his hand. Enraged, he tried to slice her at the torso, which she cleverly dodged by bending and hitting his feet with the skillet. While he was caught off guard, she hit the hand holding the sword, causing his hand to go lax. Smirking triumphantly, she hit him square in the nose, causing him to groan and fall backward.

John Smith had backed away doing their little duel, ready at a moment's notice to save the ex-lost princess, but he had been quite surprised when Rapunzel defeated the goon.

"I, I had it under control," he told her. She smiled at him and said, "Of course you did." They helped the other girls, who had hidden themselves to avoid being trampled, up from the ground. An sudden explosion came from the house behind them all, causing them to fall forward.

Little pieces of shrapnel filled the smoky air as Rapunzel groaned and eased herself up from the dirt and filth of the street. An excruciating sharp pang of pain zapped her from her right arm, and she gasped. She bit her lip to hold back tears and carefully highered herself.

John offered her a hand and she gratefully took it. Once she had risen, he yelled at her, for it had gotten loud from the people running about in the streets, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she yelled back at him, "I think so."

"We have to get out of this town!" he yelled back at her.

"Okay!" Rapunzel linked arms with a reluctant Ariel, who started babbling, "Wait, Rapunzel, wait!"

"Ariel!" Rapunzel turned to look at the younger girl and her green eyes were dead serious. Ariel calmed down while Rapunzel said to her, "We are not stopping, we need to go, NOW!" Ariel nodded but continued, "But-!"

"Come on, mermaid," Meg said to her, and the four plus the chameleon started creeping along the houses. Ariel seemed to be insistent on trying to tell Rapunzel something, but the brunette, not herself at all, briskly brushed her off, paying attention to the task at hand.

John carefully put a finger to his lip and carefully crossed the street. Rapunzel, Meg and the protesting Ariel watched anxiously as he peeked around and gave them the signal. They smiled briefly and started to cross the street when a lit clothes line, full of flaming clothes, fell in front of their path, causing them all to jump.

Once they had calmed down, they joined John Smith and they continued their way downtown. Rapunzel was really scared out of her wits, and was trying to block out the babbling Ariel while she tried to think about happier things. One of the happier things was the bridge leading into town, and she sighed in relief when the bridge finally came into sight.

"There it is," John breathed. They all gave a slight chuckle and stepped out of an alley to cross it when a bunch of Maleficent's minion came bounding out of the cheese shop. They thrust their weapons at them and the leader said, "Come on, now. Back to the castle."

"Back to the castle, yeah, right," John Smith scoffed and he kicked the leader in the stomach. The leader fell back on his squadron, knocking them over, and they all started to quarrel in their tangled state. John instantly shoved the girls ahead and yelled, "Run!"

The girls instantly obeyed when the minions picked themselves up and charged angrily at the man. John instantly grabbed his frying pan that he had kept tucked in his arm and fought against them. Rapunzel grabbed Ariel's arm and dragged her with her as Meg, frying pan in hand, rushed ahead.

"Rapunzel! Please, I can't run!" Ariel pleaded. Rapunzel felt for her because the pain in her arm was still burning like a mighty inferno and the pain was like a shot every time she moved it the wrong way. Rapunzel turned to her and said, "I know it's hard, but we need to go!"

Meg had reached the bridge and was already crossing it when Ariel decided she had had enough. The ex-mermaid planted her slippered feet into the nasty street and held firm. Rapunzel was instantly stopped, causing her to almost slip in the muck. Rapunzel turned to her to say something but before she could utter a word, Ariel held up her finger in front of Rapunzel's lips.

"Rapunzel, I need to tell you something," Ariel panted as calmly as she could, "I can't run because I'm pregnant."

Rapunzel felt the blood drain out of her face.

"What?"

**Just to let y'all know, I'm NOT hooking up John Smith and Rapunzel, they'll just be friends. I hope you've liked it all!**


	15. Injury, Pregnancy and Horrible News

**DISCLAIMER: *Stands on soap box* I do NOT own any of the mentioned Disney films. That's all I wanted to say, no, wait, I also just wanted to scream to the world, *clears throat* I LOVE TANGLED! *clears throat again* That is all. *Steps off of soap box* Oh, *goes back on top of said soap box* To I'mabrunetteandblondielover, they're not animated when they're in the real world, and they're animated in Corona. Okay, I'm officially done! *Steps off of soap box***

Rapunzel could only stand in stunned shock for a moment at the younger girl. Ariel calmly nodded and folded her arms. Pascal, on Rapunzel's shoulder, had been standing open-mouthed at the ex-mermaid and then promptly fainted, his face draining of his usual green into a foggy white.

"Yep," Ariel confirmed happily. "We just found out less than three days ago. We were going to tell you all at the party tonight, BUT," she clucked her teeth and pointed behind them, "they had to come and ruin everything."

Rapunzel's astonished face melted into a warm smile and she quickly wrapped her one arm that hadn't been bent around her friend and gave her a soft squeeze. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you, Rapunzel!" Ariel smiled back. They stood there for a moment before a flaming beam from overhead came crashing down next to them. Rapunzel broke their hug and said firmly, "Ariel, we need to go, NOW!" Ariel nodded and they grabbed hands and started to slowly run. Rapunzel turned to Pascal, who had woken up and was dizzy and asked him, "Are you okay, Pascal?"

The little chameleon faintly nodded and held onto her neck for dear life.

Rapunzel could hardly think as the three ran across the bridge to the woods and Meg. Ariel, pregnant? She was one of the younger girls of the group and she never thought that...goodness! It hadn't showed at all, maybe...she smiled to herself when an idea came to her if they all survived this for the other girls and her to throw her a baby shower. Of course, the idea of a baby shower was highly unlikely in their current predicament, but it kept her thoughts off of possibly getting killed.

They were able to make it across the long bridge without any trouble and they met Meg on the other side. She had hidden herself off the side of the road and had jumped out with her frying pan ready when she saw them.

"Where are we going?" the Greek girl asked hurriedly. Ariel slid to the ground to catch her breath while Rapunzel stuck her finger into her mouth and started to nibble on the fingernail while she carefully thought. She lived in the capital city of Corona, and she never really ventured out of the village that much. She knew her way around the roads here pretty well do to the impromptu picnics she and the prince consort had had and wait!

"We're going to the Snuggly Duckling!" Rapunzel exclaimed. She knew that if the Pub Thugs had made it out alive and if they didn't stay to help at the castle, they'd go to the Snuggly Duckling.

"Isn't that the bar?" Ariel asked her worriedly. Rapunzel nodded.

"How far away is it?" Meg wondered. Rapunzel bit her lip and sighed as she said quietly, "About five hours!" She sighed, annoyed, and kicked at the stray rocks around the bank of the water in annoyance.

Meg sighed and sat down in silence. She put her head against her fist and said, "Well, yay."

Their hopes dimmed as the realization of having to get there by walking loomed around their heads. The somewhat depressed girls' heads turned hopefully, however, when they heard a slight neighing from a distance. On the bridge, galloping toward them with a saddle that was on fire, was Achilles.

Rapunzel got an inspiration and immediately jumped in front of the raging horse. Meg and Ariel immediately protested, "Rapunzel, stop!" Pascal shielded his eyes in panic. She had done this before, but, let's face it, Maximus wasn't really running for his life! Pascal thought to himself, 'I should have expected this. She was always going out on a limb.'

"Whoa!" Rapunzel told the horse loudly. Achilles immediately raised his front hooves high into the air and neighed, loud and angry. Rapunzel expected this and calmly whispered, "Hey, easy boy, easy. It's alright, don't be afraid." Her calm and soothing voice that sounded like she meant no harm to the horse worked its magic as Achilles placed all four hooves on the ground and looked her over.

Pascal knew that she would need his help so the quiet chameleon crawled onto the top of Rapunzel's head and rolled up his imaginary sleeves. He noticed his annoying purple bow tie and plucked it off before he cleared his throat and put his paws into his old 'be cool' position. As he expected, the horse gave him a slight nod and turned to Rapunzel. Worked every time.

Rapunzel smiled at the horse and proffered her right hand to Ariel and grunted. The ex-mermaid looked from her hand to Rapunzel with a curious face. Rapunzel pointed to Ariel's hand and she nodded and pulled off one of her gloves and handed it to Rapunzel. Rapunzel smiled at the girl and started to beat the burning saddle with the glove. She had forgotten, however, that her right arm was injured, and when she tried to put out the flames, a shot of pain raced through her veins and she dropped the glove with a scream.

Meg stood up and instantly turned to the younger girl, "Are you burned?"

Rapunzel winced and held her arm to herself as she whispered, "No, but when that building had throw us, I landed on my arm funny."

Meg instantly nodded and retrieved the dropped glove. She beat away the flames on the horse until she was able to gingerly unstrap the saddle, and it fell onto the ground. Achilles nodded gratefully and Meg turned to Rapunzel, who's arm was being examined by Pascal.

"Is it okay?" Meg asked Pascal. She then acquired a weird look on her face and mumbled, "I'm talking to a chameleon."

Pascal looked from the swollen arm to Meg in alarm and shook his head sadly. Rapunzel bit back the pain when he carefully resumed his position on her neck. Her arm looked horrible. It had turned to a pale shade of purple, and it was swelling at a rapid pace. The veins running through her limb stuck out predominantly and a large welt had developed on her upper arm.

Meg turned to Achilles and soothingly shushed the horse. She had had to deal with Pegasus on a regular basis and the knowledge she had about the magical horse would hopefully work on a regular white horse. To her relief, Achilles calmed and Meg beckoned to the other girls. She joined her hands together and Rapunzel gingerly placed her foot into the hold. She used her left arm to help herself up and Meg gave her a boost until she sat comfortably on his bare back.

Ariel was next and then Meg managed to scramble onto his back. Sitting in the front, she straightened and patted the horse's neck. Stooping down to his face, she whispered into his ear,"We need to go." Achilles seemed to be able to understand the conversation, which was not surprising to Rapunzel, and prepared to leave. He kicked up his hooves and reared back, causing the girls to shriek and almost fall off. He neighed determinedly and raced through the woods.

Achilles kicked through the paths of Corona's forest and they all hoped that the villains weren't following them. Rapunzel, with her good hand holding on to Ariel's shoulder desperately, turned back to the capital city. Her eyes burned with hot, salty tears of rage and sadness as one of the houses completely fill in, evoking several terrified screams from the villagers. She wiped her eyes as she turned around and straightened herself determinedly. Rapunzel could feel her anger level raise to a dangerous level that she had only had when she had been chained up in that tower.

She knew that this anger came because Gothel, that devil-bitten piece of no good space, had taken away her life, again. In that tower, Gothel had taken away everything that she had held dear and she was doing it again.

And Rapunzel would not stand for it.

Achilles blazed through the Corona wilderness with ease. He had, after all, been trained for stealth and for running long distances, and this was just the time and place to do it.

Rapunzel whispered hoarse instructions to Meg about where to go, and the dexterous girl skillfully flicked the reins in the right direction. Pascal had fallen into a restless sleep on Rapunzel's shoulder, on the verge of falling off, and Ariel had slumped against Meg's shoulder in exhaustion.

Achilles had been running for nearly an hour when Meg noticed the horse panting dangerously. She pulled the reins with a gentle, "Whoa!" and stooped to examine the horse. His nostrils were flared out and he was sweating bullets. Meg patted his neck and swung off of him to stroke his face.

"What happened?" Rapunzel wondered, concerned, as she gently landed on the gritty, pebbly path.

"He's tired. Let's get him a drink, and, I guess," Meg sighed dishearteningly, "bunker down for the night."

Rapunzel looked at her, a bit shocked, but then nodded. It was still an hour to the Snuggly Duckling, but Meg had a point. They all needed a rest.

Meg carefully walked over the many rocks and bumps in the road to a small clearing hidden behind a grove of trees. There was a stream running past their chosen spot, and the large rocks came in handy as chairs and pillows.

Meg gently helped the half-asleep teen down from the horse, Rapunzel helping her as much as she could. Together they were able to lay her on the ground and Pascal crawled down Rapunzel's left arm and onto Ariel's arm. Pascal smiled sadly at the sleeping redhead and patted her as the evenness of her breathing caused him to yawn and fall asleep.

Rapunzel got comfortable on a flat rock, wincing and biting her lip as she lowered her injured arm. She watched Meg pat the horse on his neck as he lowered his snout and guzzled down the creek water greedily.

Happy that he was taken care of, Meg found a seat next to Rapunzel and reached for her arm. For the life of her, the snappy girl wished that she knew something about first-aid. The arm was turning green, paling in the still moonlight flooding in from above the trees. Meg timidly touched it, and Rapunzel instantly sucked in air through gritted teeth. Meg looked up to see green pleading eyes begging for her not to touch it anymore.

"You need help," Meg said slowly. Rapunzel broke into a weak replicate of a smile and nodded sadly. Meg carefully poked it with her thin index finger and the ex-lost-princess instantly winced. Rapunzel could barely hold in the amount of pain her arm was causing her, and she whispered to Meg, "Excuse me for a moment."

Meg watched curiously as the ex-lost princess calmly stood up from her hard seat and trotted to the woods. Meg flinched and covered her ears when a piercing scream rang out from the grove Rapunzel had gone into. The agony-filled yell ended a couple of minutes later when Rapunzel emerged calmly from the trees. She set herself delicately on the rock and smiled at Meg. Meg gave her a strange look and stood up. Her thin hands grasped the handle of the black pan and tucked it under her left arm.

Peering about, she said to Rapunzel, "I'll go find a doctor."

"I can't let you go out there!" Rapunzel thundered dangerously. She reached out her arms to lift herself up and instantly let out a sharp squeak.

Meg tossed her head of hair and scoffed at the smaller girl, "Don't even try that. Stay, PLEASE!" Meg rolled her eyes over to the satisfied horse who was neighing happily and pricking his ears up, "He'll protect ya," and with that, Meg stalked off confidently into the woods.

Rapunzel sighed and pushed back her brown locks with her one good hand and groaned. What a mess! She looked around for someone to talk to, anyone really. Ariel was asleep from all the running, and Pascal was snuggling his small body into her sleeve. Rapunzel smiled at the two and turned to Achilles, who had found himself a nice spot to rest.

"Achilles, what happened? I mean, this, is THE WORST DAY EVER!" Rapunzel sniffed and she hid her head in her only working arm. She drew her eyes together and put together a nasty snarl on her otherwise perky face. Her dimples screwed about and her nose highered as she in-and-ex-haled deeply. Rapunzel drew her face out of her position and growled to herself. Her quick green eyes darted around for something to use to vent her anger. She used her left arm to pick up a rock and she threw it at the woods in frustration.

To her immediate horror that made her annoyed face disappear, a rustling noise came from within the thick forest. Rapunzel instantly stood up and reached for her frying pan. This was more than likely not fear-smelling bunnies.

Achilles stood alert as Rapunzel managed to squeak, "Hello? Who's there?" Another stick broke, causing Rapunzel to step back and nearly trip over a stone and scream. Instantly a noise that sounded like running came from the trees and out burst B.E.N., who ran at Rapunzel frantically, screaming, "Oh, I'M SO SORRY! OH, PLEASE, PRINCESS, CALM DOWN!" The robot only caused Rapunzel to scream louder, and she instantly started to swing at the robot with the weapon.

"Geez, I'm sorry, Princess, please stop!" B.E.N. begged earnestly. Rapunzel had closed her eyes and was swinging blindly as she screamed, "I'm going to get you!"

A dark-haired teen with hair pulled into a ponytail ran out of the woods with a jelly like substance following him nervously and called out at them, "Hey, please, Your Highness, he won't hurt you! Stop!"

Rapunzel slowly stopped with her rapid swinging and eased her eyes opened. Her green eyes showed relief as she closed them and smiled in relief. "Thank goodness, you're not a minion."

"Yeah, I'm not," the teen smiled. Rapunzel held out her hand and said, "Rapunzel, Princess of Corona."

The youth smiled and tentatively shook her petite hand and replied, "Jim Hawkins." They both turned to B.E.N. who was eying Rapunzel fearfully. "That's B.E.N., he overreacts sometimes."

Rapunzel giggled when B.E.N. huffed and folded his arms at Jim and said, "I do NOT overreact." Jim leaned to Rapunzel, who offered an eager ear and whispered, "He screams like a girl, too."

B.E.N. quickly counteracted with, "I do NOT!" Morph grinned smugly and turned into a mini little ghost that looked like a flattened marshmallow over a pickle and gave a squeaky boo. It was probably the cutest thing that Rapunzel had ever seen, but B.E.N. shrieked like a little girl who had been spooked by a butterfly and ran away in terror.

"Um, is he coming back?" Rapunzel asked.

"Ahh, probably, he wouldn't last out there long," Jim replied.

"None of us can," Rapunzel answered him sadly.

"Maleficent's goons are everywhere and the grey-skinned weirdos are guarding the village," Jim told her.

Rapunzel winced and asked him hesitantly, "How did it look?"

"Well, to be honest, down right ugly," he shrugged. When he saw her crumple her face and punch her head in frustration, he winced and said, "But I don't think they're killing anyone."

"Then what's with the guns, and, and arrows, and, and swords! Why do they need those?" she challenged him.

"They need persuasion," he told her. Rapunzel folded her arms, cradling her arm carefully, and highered one of her eyebrows. She had also adopted a few looks and glares from her ex-thief.

"Well, nobody goes willingly, that's for sure. Look," Jim said quietly, "I saw what happened back in the ballroom. A lot of people got captured, including," he fumbled, "all the Disney Princes."

The color of Rapunzel's usual cheery face drained into a pale shock, as she gasped, horrified, and slowly lowered herself back onto her stone chair. Worry and shock flooded her mind as she tried to catch her breath. Jim took a seat next to her and his face disappeared inside his hands. Morph cooed worryingly, and Rapunzel hid her head in her hand and started to shake violently. Jim sighed depressingly when a loud sob crept out from under her hand. He sighed and patted her on the back reassuringly as she continued to sob her troubles out.

She cried for nearly a half hour, every time it seemed that she'd stopped, a thought of her Eugene crept into her mind and she'd burst into a fresh set of tears. She had been holding in tears for hours, and now they poured out like a waterfall, and they didn't stop.

**Wow, way to leave it on a depressing note, and guess what I'm listening to? I Just Can't Wait To Be King, way to go for the oxymoron. Yay, I introduced Jim, that'll make y'all happy. *Smiley face* **


	16. Through Hell

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own any of the mentioned Disney films. Oh, yeah, all the Disney princes, (including John Rolfe but not John Smith) are captured, aren't I horrible? Here's what's happened in the core, in the center of the fighting while Rapunzel and her buddies ran to safety. Hopefully by the end of this chapter you'll want to light the torches and sharpen the pitchforks, not for me! but for the villains. This chapter is more focused on Eugene, and it's from when he leaves Rapunzel to the morning after the villains come and reign terror.  
**

"Be careful," Rapunzel said to him worriedly. Eugene nodded sincerely and with a frying pan tucked into his elbow, he carefully closed the door without making a sound. Straightening up, his quick brown eyes scanned the hallway and when he didn't see any minions or villains, he held out his frying pan protectively with his right hand and started to sneak around the corners of the hall.

He peeked around a long corner and then sprinted down the halls. Noises of fighting and anguish-filled screaming filled his ears as his sneaking around brought him nearer and nearer to the ballroom. His inhaling and exhaling quickened as his anger level escalated to a personal new high. Eugene grunted angrily and his knuckles turned white against his frying pan.

With quick stealth and lightness of feet, he was able to get back to the ballroom in a matter of minutes. He peered around the corner to the ballroom and his mouth dropped an inch or two. Disney guests who just a few hours ago had been laughing and talking lightly with each other were letting out heart-breaking screams as Maleficent's minions charged at them. Several children were cornered by a Hun, and Eugene, without a thought of hesitation, sprang out of his hiding place.

The children, Tipo, Chaca, Cody and Jenny, were scrunching themselves into the wall while the Hun prodded at them with his weapon. The grey-skinned man prodded Jenny's chin with a bow and arrow and said in a sinister voice, "Come now, girly, it's the dungeon for you!" When the girl gulped and didn't answer, the obese warrior picked her up by the back of her formal dress, ready to convince her when Eugene came around from behind and hit the man upside the head with the frying pan. The man went down like a leaky boat, making Jenny squeal a little as she fell with him. Eugene quickly reached out and caught her by her arm and he set her down gently.

"Wow, thanks, sir," the child exclaimed. Her peers instantly nodded their gratitude and ran off away from the ballroom. Her thank you speech was interrupted when Eugene gave her a gentle but firm shove toward an open exit.

"Go, NOW!" he yelled at her. Jenny quickly nodded and ran down the hall as fast as her little legs could carry her. Eugene inhaled a moment from the quickness of his act and ran his fingers through his hair. Inhaling loudly, he sneaked around the walls into the ballroom.

The room was the very meaning of turmoil. All the tables and chairs so elegantly and delicately prepared only a few hours ago were overturned, making temporary hiding places for scared guests. Bits of food and torn linen littered the floor, but to the prince-consort's relief, no blood. That didn't mean that the minions and villains weren't violent.

Jafar was the biggest being in the room. He was casting a shadow the size of a corn field across the room; Eugene could barely catch himself from saying a curse word. Of course, with all the clamor and ear-piercing screams, no one would have heard him.

The villains continued their reign of terror by capturing the people stuck in the ballroom. Nearly everyone, mostly the women, children and animals, were captured and taken away to God only knows where. The few remaining men who had not been captured were helping Maximus and the guards with the fighting.

Eugene was filled with hatred when he saw all this, this madness. A angry glower covered his face as he walked up to the first Hun he saw and knocked him out without a hitch. He continued on to the next, and the next. By his fourth Hun, they started to fight back with their rough and equally grey swords, blocking every attempt he made to knock them out. He was soon surrounded by five Huns, each one foaming from the mouth, which was, needless of the time and place, gross.

Eugene fought back with his frying pan, dodging deadly each swing at his body with his skillet. Perspiring sweat, he was barely holding out against the burly Chinese men. The Huns thought this to be rather amusing, to which Eugene could angrily argue against. While keeping him turned to one Hun, another took a jab at his shoulder, slicing through his black vest and white shirt into his skin. The blade punctured through about an inch or so, no further for the instant that it pierced his skin, the prince-consort spun around. He instantly regretted this, the pain in his arm surpassing his anger level, and he let out a loud and furious groan.

The Huns instantly took their chance on the distracted man, and they pounced on him. Seizing his flailing limbs, the pain in his shoulder (and the fact that he was outnumbered), caused the men to hold him down, restraining him like Corona's guards had on his way to his immediate death. He hoped that this wasn't going to be the same case.

Grabbing his injured shoulder roughly, the largest of the pack whirled him around to face him, causing Eugene, who had been trying to bite back the pain as to not make his enemies think that he was weak, to let out a low moan. The leader, as he was, spoke roughly not to the captured prince-consort, but to his comrades, "Take him to the dungeon. I'll tell Queen Maleficent that we've captured them all."

Eugene's thoughts raced as the Huns grunted and smiled maliciously at each other in agreement. 'QUEEN Maleficent? What the hell!' Eugene thought to himself as he allowed for his hands to be jerked behind his back and tied together with a thick metal handcuff. And who was 'all'? He knew that Rapunzel wouldn't have been found, unless they searched the entire castle...he mentally kicked himself to add to his pain and guilt for leaving her alone. 'I'm a jerk, I AM SUCH A FREAKING IDIOT!' was all that he could think of.

Once his hands were rendered useless, two of the Huns roughly kicked his back, throwing him forward and to the closing-in-fast-ground. His face smacked against the cold hard floor, nearly to the point that the fall was broken by his nose, which was probably broken too.

Eugene could make out his Hun guards laughing and taunting him in their own language. He didn't have to speak it to know that it was derogatory. He hissed silently to himself as he tried to roll over to be able to stand up. Apparently that just annoyed his captors, and when they heard what he thought was a quiet groan, they stomped on his leg and laughed amongst themselves again. It was all that Eugene could do not to shout curses at them.

When he hissed angrily again, the two Huns bent down, finally starting to feel impatient at his endeavors to standing, and clapped their hands on his wrists and jerked him up. He fumbled around to find his footing as they clapped huge hands around his shoulders and pushed him forward between themselves.

They led him down the course of the room to the exit where all the other prisoners were being led. Eugene dared not raise his head, but his eyes carefully looked among them and cringed. They had caught all the Disney princes, and Sir Kay and Ector, Fflewdurr Fflam and Clopin; each one, head bowed, hands cuffed, too ashamed and angry to look at their captors. From what Eugene could tell, he was the only one injured.

Among the prisoners there was also the women and children who, although not handcuffed, were severely guarded as they walked on through. There was Huns posted every two feet, watching with emotionless eyes as their prisoners plodded through, silently, save for the stifled sobs and whimpers from the kids. Their mothers would comfort them gently and tell them to hush, but the men just walked on, their pride too hurt to look at the Huns.

Passing through the door, they were led down several hallways that Eugene vaguely recognized and out the door leading out of the castle. The chilly night air instantly caught him off guard, sending unwanted shivers down his spine. His anger only boiled as the skin that was exposed and sliced through hit the cold of the air and it bit back without mercy. Eugene gritted his teeth and tried hard as hell to hold back any noises that might try to escape his lips.

A sharp noise came from his side and he looked out and uttered, astonished, "Oh, are you serious?" Mayhem and chaos reigned supreme in the village square. Buildings had caught fire and were falling down at a rapid pace. Townspeople raced through the town, trying desperately to escape the flames.

Smoke floated through the air, causing the prince-consort, (who would never tell anyone that he was sensitive to smoke) to break out into an uncontrollable coughing fit. The Hun next to him smacked him upside the head which only caused him to fall off the path and against another Hun, coughs still wracking through his body.

"Come on," the Hun grunted impatiently, throwing Eugene off of him. The ex-thief managed to catch his balance, which was a bit hard given his current predicament. His coughing finally ceased and a Hun hit him on the back of the head as his signal for, "Get moving." Eugene picked up his tired legs and started walking again. He tried to rub the sore spot on his head with his shoulder but do to the smacked area being nearer to the top of his head, his efforts were fruitless.

They all continued on until they reached the door to, Eugene gulped, the palace dungeon. The leader Hun gruffly threw each person into a group, women in one, children in the other, and men in the next. Once their primitive sorting was done, four Huns surrounded each group, (except for the male group, which was guarded by one Hun for each prisoner) and led them into the prison.

At the lobby room, they were led their separate ways. Huns led the women and children down the left side of the foul smelling prison and the rest of them grabbed a prisoner's handcuffs and practically dragged them down the right hallway.

Eugene barely struggled against the Hun who was holding onto his cuffs with a death grip. His shoulder was aching badly, and the blood had long since stopped bleeding, leaving a long and narrow red fiery bar along his skin. A large drop of blood had streaked down his white shirt, and the kick to the back and hit to the head were not feeling great either.

Eugene could hardly breathe do to the large amount of cold air in the prison stealing the air from his exhausted lungs. He just slowly plodded along, being led by the Hun. He was only trying to go willingly so that they could focus on him and not on searching for Rapunzel.

Oh, Rapunzel! Oh, he prayed to God that she had escaped. He had not seen her with the women and children, thank God, but there must have been prison parties already led to the dungeon, for he could see men from the ball who were in their cells that hadn't been taken in with them. The stench in the place was maddening, a foul mixture of who knows what. He was happy that Rapunzel did not have to experience this.

They plodded along until the Hun turned Eugene to a large cell built for multiple people. The Huns holding down the Disney princes also stopped at this cell.

Without so much as a single word or informative grunt, the Hun holding the ex-thief down shoved the man into the cell. Eugene instinctively tried to hold out his hands to save him from hurting upon impact, but when your hands were chained behind your back, it's a bit hard. He slammed against the wall, and with a slight groan, fell to the floor. Eric, Aladdin, Naveen and Phillip received the same treatment, only they were better aided in catching themselves when they didn't have a injured shoulder.

The rest of the Huns led the other five Disney princes, (including John Rolfe) into another cell right next to theirs, and without another word, the leader Hun shoved the door shut and locked it with a large key from the collection on his belt, the door creaking ominously. The Huns then grunted to themselves and walked away.

Eugene managed to flip himself around so that his back was to the wall. The pain in his shoulder only increased when he rubbed it accidentally against the rock wall. The other princes each were able to flip themselves around as well, and they all collectively as one person sighed.

Silence filled the cell until Eric finally muttered angrily to himself, "Dang it!"

Naveen couldn't help but give a little chuckle at that and he said to the sea-loving prince, "We're in the most horrible place in our lives and all you can say is 'dang it'?"

"First thing that came to mind," Eric explained, annoyed at the world overall.

"Damn it works just as well," Aladdin pointed out. Eugene grimaced and turned to the others and retorted, "Will you please shut up about curse words!" The other four looked at him and Phillip asked, "Are you okay?"

Eugene simply blinked at him, once, twice before he spilled out, sputtering at parts, "No, I am not okay! Not only did the palace get taken over by villains, I have no idea where my wife is, I'm in a prison cell and I have a wound the size of a cigar in my shoulder, so, no, I am NOT OKAY!"

"Yeah, well, just because you're in a bad mood doesn't mean you have to yell at us!" Aladdin pointed out.

"Um, yeah I do!" Eugene yelled back. Phillip looked from the two men and managed to scoot over to Eugene, carefully examined his shoulder with his eyes.

"Well, the bleeding stopped, and so it's covered over, it shouldn't get too bad unless we don't find medical supplies soon," he informed the prince-consort.

Eugene couldn't think of anything else to say except, "Thanks." Phillip nodded and the five men settled down for the night as comfortably as they could in a prison cell. Eugene didn't bother lying down. He knew from previous experience that lying face-down on a prison floor was not smart in the slightest, and the chains on his back would prod into his back if he went face-up. He shuffled around until he was against the wall, as comfortable as he could get himself and he closed his eyes to shut out the rest of the world. Where was Corona's guards when you needed them?

The prison's cold and heartless walls were familiar to Eugene. All this brought back unpleasant memories. There had been times (not at Corona) where he had been imprisoned for small thefts, but he had easily evaded judgement, but there was that one time, in this very dungeon, when he had felt powerless to help Rapunzel, like right now.

It was when he had been discovered with the princess' crown on the boat he had taken with Rapunzel to see the floating lanterns. He had been dragged in and after the quickest trial of his young life, had been thrown in prison for one night, one night only. He only hoped now that the villains wouldn't keep him here in this horrendous place or sentence him to death, for he was fairly certain that there would be no Pub Thugs to break him out.

* * *

Bright and early the next morning, the largest Hun grunted to himself as he drew out the long key from his belt and he inserted it into the lock. Twisting it around, he quickly unlocked the door and entered the cell. He strode over to the prisoner that the villains wanted to speak with and kicked his side. Eugene cringed at the sharp kick to his side and groaned to himself. The last thing he wanted to do at the moment was wake up.

The Hun was not happy with his non-cooperation and stooped and grabbed his left arm. Lifting him up by his arm, the Hun brought Eugene to his eye level. Eugene couldn't help but groan at the Hun's breath when the grey man said, "Come on."

A little Flynn Rider came back to him when he answered not too happily, "Where are we going?" The Hun merely snarled and let go of him gruffly. The other prisoners were starting to wake up as the Hun grabbed his chains and nearly pulled him out of his cell. Eugene straightened up and found his footing. He allowed (though he wasn't happy about it) the Hun to lead him down the hallway.

The other prisoners' eyes followed the two as two more Huns joined them on their trek. Eugene wondered to himself as they traversed through the long and dark corridors where they were taking him. Surely the villains were not so heartless to start slaughtering them without so much as a hearing.

His answer came along when the Huns brought him into the castle and into, he gulped to himself, the royal courtroom. A large room filled with uneasiness of the worst kind, filled with unsympathetic eyes and stern visages. Just what he needed in the morning.

The two Huns that had joined them grunted to their leader, and when they received a nod, they parked themselves outside the doors as guards. The leader shoved him through the two swinging doors, nearly causing him to trip twice in the same ten minutes.

Eugene looked around the courtroom, and an intense and fiery anger engulfed his mind. In the court's box where the royal council would have usually sat was filled with the bustling bodies of eight of the Disney villains, gossiping loudly among themselves. Eugene gulped as he found Maleficent sitting coolly in the seat where his father-in-law would have sat, and the balcony and bleachers usually occupied by lords and ladies was filled with loud and dirty minions, shadows and Huns.

His quick brown eyes took in the Huns posted at every place possible, but when he didn't see the person he hated more than anyone in the world, he was filled with dread.

Gothel.

When he couldn't find the black-and-grey curly-haired woman, he twisted around, ignoring the pain in his shoulder, to see if she was behind him, but instead he was met with a grunt, and he was shoved to a stand on which he was supposed to stand on. He cringed at the pain and carefully stood on the stand.

Maleficent spied him, and with an evil-filled smile, banged her scepter on the ground to get everyone's attention. Everyone turned to her, and all grew quiet. Maleficent smiled again, a cruel smile, and stood up from her seat. Dusting herself off with one hand, she announced in a crisp and cool voice, "The trial of Flynn Rider is now in session."

Eugene cringed at his old name. They just loved to make him uncomfortable, didn't they?

To add to the situation, Maleficent continued with, "I now present the prosecutor, Dame Gothel."

'Dame Gothel? Oh, 'Mother' Gothel,' Eugene thought to himself. His thoughts were set aside when a Hun on the other side of the room opened a door for Gothel, who thanked the Hun and walked in coolly. Her grey-streaked hair was growing thinner and her skin all the more wrinkly. She was wearing her black cape and hood, and her cold grey eyes looked directly at the ex-thief. She was no longer acting motherly at all. He thereon gulped.

Gothel pulled back her hood and tossed her hair around a bit with her hand as she marched up confidently to Eugene. She approached him until she was nearly five inches away from his face and whispered slyly, "Hello, Rider."

She straightened up as he wrinkled his nose and said, "It's Fitzherbert, actually."

"Oh, is it really, Rider? After years and years of that sucky old name, you go back to it?" Gothel laughed. The confidence emitted off of her like light off of a candle.

Eugene scowled and tried to keep himself as composed as he could under the circumstances. He calmly replied, "Yes, I did. I'm not Flynn Rider anymore."

"Oh, are you, _Flynn Rider_?" Gothel asked, delighted in her behavior.

"No, I am not!" Eugene answered her bitterly.

"Oh, so it was the orphan _Eugene Fitzherbert _who went and stole away a daughter from her loving mother and thereon brutally MURDERED the mother, the one person who cared and took care of her her whole life?" Gothel questioned him. When she said his name, her voice reeked with bitterness and hostility.

Eugene couldn't help but feel belittled by her voice, and he retorted back at her, "'Loving mother!' You were about as loving as a slave to his master, which was what you WERE!"

"Silence!" Gothel yelled angrily. Her hand quickly slapped against his cheek, hard, causing him to bite his tongue, drawing blood. The irony taste of the red liquid filled his mouth as Gothel straightened with a smirk and turned away from him. She started to pace in front of Maleficent and the whole court. She straightened and addressed the whole court, except Eugene, "Don't you see, Your Honor and Council, that this man is a criminal, one of the most horrible vermin. Nothing but a low-down, gutter boy!"

The heads of the villainous beings jerked up and down approvingly. Gothel smirked at their reaction and then turned to Maleficent. Her voice rang out loudly as she continued, "But," she turned to Eugene with an evil smile on her face, "I think we can use him."

Eugene's eyebrows rose out of habit at her words. Maleficent seemed to also be interested in Gothel and she slowly nodded her head. Gothel nodded and explained, "You see, Your Honor and Council, that I have an idea." She turned to Eugene and said in a slow and creepy voice, "He can go and bring back the Princesses."

Eugene's mouth instantly dropped while the Council members chatted and nodded to themselves. Eugene's fists tightened in their chains, making the rough metal scrape against his already chafing skin.

Gothel continued with her sly plan, "You see, we send him among them and one by one, he tells them he'll lead them to 'safety'. In reality, he'll bring them to us, and we shall keep them in our grasp for the rest of their miserable lives!" Eugene's breathing quickened, fueled by rage, and his nostrils flared out dangerously when Gothel turned to him and walked toward him, her hips swaying on purpose. She straightened up and traced his chin with her finger and said smoothly, "In return, we won't kill the horrendous thief!"

In return to her wretched behavior, the ex-thief did the only thing he could do. He leaned back and planted a wad of saliva on Gothel's wrinkly nose. He was immediately filled with satisfaction when Gothel instantly drew back and howled. Straightening up, she signaled to Eugene's Hun guard, and without a word, the Hun smacked him upside the head, making his lip smack against his teeth. The force caught him off guard, and his lip started to put out blood.

Maleficent instantly took control of the situation and banged on the floor again with her scepter. She yelled out, "Guards, seize him!" Eugene was immediately pounced on by three more Huns. Two of the Huns had a tight grip on his shoulder and the other two put all their strength into holding down his arms. He grimaced when Gothel yelled at him loudly, "How dare you! Do that again, and I won't be so nice." Eugene's forehead wrinkled at her statement. That was her definition of nice?

"Now, are you in or out?"

Eugene inhaled and exhaled loudly as he said, almost to himself, "Hmm, let's see, go and betray everyone by joining you, including the one girl who I love, or get tortured and possibly murdered. Hmm, I'll take the latter!"

Gothel's temper rose at his decision and she yelled loudly, "JOIN US OR DIE!"

"I'D RATHER DIE THAN WORK FOR LOWER-THAN-LIFE SCUMBAGS! I could never," his voice deepened into a threatening and dangerous tone, "ever betray Rapunzel." His confidence growing, he straightened as much as he could and added with a scary tone of voice, "I promise I will never join you. And I never, ever, break a promise."

The Council immediately started to buzz with chatter. Maleficent stretched over her stand to look closer at the prisoner. Gothel's cold and heartless blue eyes searched him intently. She didn't move at all, her eyes simply darting around his face. Although injured and beat, the ex-thief was staring back at her, his face showing her that no matter what she did to him, he would never break.

Gothel blinked at him slowly, once, twice; she then turned to Maleficent when the horned woman called out, "He has chosen his own fate! He shall die at dawn!" Her announcement aroused the council and bleachers to be filled with cheering and excitement.

Eugene scowled at Gothel angrily, and the four Huns jerked on him to remind him that they were the superior men. Gothel wrinkled her nose and put two of her fingers and her thumb together and snapped them loudly, causing the din to calm down.

She whirled around to Maleficent and called, "No, I think you should spare his life."

No one was more surprised than Eugene. This woman had gone and MURDERED him for pete's sake after which he had gone and killed her, (not knowing that she would die when the blonde locks were shorn), taking away her precious power, and now she wanted Maleficent to repeal his death sentence?

Maleficent instantly hit the ground again with her scepter, and yelled, "SILENCE!" This quieted the loud furor that had started back up. Her eyes darted back to Gothel and she called out, "Why is it that you want me to take back my judging?"

"Because, Your Honor, if you kill him, he is of no use to us. But," Gothel turned to Eugene with an evil smirk on her face, "keep him alive, and he can be held as a powerful tool. Ransoming, a bargaining chip to an extent."

Maleficent's expression quickly changed from angry to thoughtful as she carefully stroked her chin for a moment. Her eyes directed themselves on Gothel and a cool smile spread across her face. "So be it."

Eugene's face quickly turned to panic when the Huns instantly turned him around and dragged him to the doors. His deep cut was roughly handled, and he couldn't help but cry out in pain. The Huns continued to ignore his yells of horror as they dragged him down the hall.

Gothel merely smiled at his screams, and said loudly, "After all, there are things far worst than _death._"

**Please, nobody kill me. I hate all this evil as much as you do. I hoped you liked it!**


	17. The Snuggly Duckling

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own any of the Disney movies mentioned in this fic. Now, I'm making this extra long for all my peeps because I won't be posting any more chapters for this until after New Year's. Why, you ask? 'Cause I'll be busy with Christmas fics, duh!**

Frankly, Mulan had no idea what happened. One moment, she had been descending a VERY long staircase, a newly cleaned staircase, she might point out, stepping down to join a party, when she had been thrown from the pristine steps. Turning once she had regained her step in Shang's arms, she saw a large amount of great black ash, floating through the air and covering the stairs. A dark figure emerged, and hell had all but broken loose.

A brief discussion of up most fake politeness and awkwardness had come about, and a deal had come around. All ten Disney Princesses, herself included, for safety of the others. A deal she was unsure of to take or not.

The deal was not taken. All the villains set loose hundreds of various minions on them, and she was not about to let them pounce on them without a fight.

Dashing through the thick multitude of people, she made her way to a horse. The horse had light yellow hair and a thick brown strap covered his neck. A saddle made out of elegantly added stitches was thrown on his back, and clenched between his white sharp teeth was a frying pan.

Apparently, the skillets here were used as weapons. Mulan questioned not the oddness of such a thing; it was she, after all, who had defeated Shan Yu with a lady's fan. Skirting through, she pushed aside a pig-nosed dwarf of a man, who turned and threw himself on her. Scoffing under her breath, she instantly kicked his feet out from under him and swatted him firmly on the neck. He gave a slight groan and fell into a small heap on the grandeur floor.

Wiping away the black hair that had come undone, she turned to see the horse slamming away at the Huns. A slight smile of relief graced her face as she ran to his side and asked loudly, "Where are more frying pans?"

The horse, seeing how his name was Maximus, as she read from his polished golden badge, Maximus, grunted and slammed a hoof into his opponent's face. The horse smirked at how easily the human had fallen under him and turning to Mulan, he nodded to a small guard working away at several shadows. The guard was protecting a large pile of frying pans, from which Corona's guards were eagerly stealing away from.

Mulan nodded hurriedly and raced through. Her silky hair had fallen from her intricate bun, cascading down her pink clothed shoulders and blocking her view as she bound her way through. Kicking another one of Maleficent's minions in the groin, which earned herself a satisfying moan from the injured pig, Mulan found the guard standing alone. Having fought off the shadows successfully, he noticed her and tossed her a pan. She caught it in one instant swoop, and she held it against her torso protectively.

Easily evading the immediate blow of a newly sharpened sword, she ducked and smacked a minion in the face. Taking a quick breath, her eyes followed the mayhem to the staircase where all of this had started. Her eyes instantly narrowed when she caught sight of a familiar face.

Shan Yu.

It was undeniable. His classic smirk was plastered on his face as he bent down against a defensive Little John. His hawk was on his shoulder, squawking up a storm more than likely filled with several bird variations of cheers. He let out a yell as he used his shield to push the brown bear to the ground.

A mighty war cry budded by a vociferous need burst out of Mulan's lungs, and she lunged toward her mortal enemy. Knocking out any enemy impediment, she was able to make her way through the ubiquitous crowd.

Charging up the burnt stairs, careful to not step on a crumbling step, her thoughts and focus were centered on Shan Yu. Personal and national enemy of China. She had defeated him twice, might as well make a record.

The leader of the Huns turned to see her raging at him with her frying pan. With a slight grunt and the element of surprise on her side, Mulan successfully knocked the shield out of his stunned hands. Shan Yu quickly recovered and with one swift motion, knocked the frying pan out of her hands.

Groaning inwardly, Mulan flipped and held her hands together defensively. She slowly started to circle him. He gave her a hefty chuckle and said in his deep voice, "Our paths have passed once again, Fa Mulan."

Her stern visage didn't stir as she quickly informed, "It's Li Mulan now, actually."

"Aww," he laughed maliciously, "got married to the general, have you?"

"Yes, I have," Mulan answered in response.

"Too bad I have to make him a widower than, yes?" Shan Yu lisped. Mulan answered him with a quick jab to the lip, causing him to grunt and turn at the pain. He looked at her in disgust, his hand instantly at his blooding lip.

"Sorry," Mulan said, "but I can't let you do that." Immediately after the words escaped her lips, the two were pulled into a duel using martial arts. Training had done Mulan a world of good. Her swift hands punches swatted back her opponent's beefy grey hands.

Shan Yu himself was actually, to Mulan's surprise, not a bad martial artist. His responses to her swats were sharp and quick in defense.

They were close together in an intense state, slowly making their away from each other. Mulan gave him a jab, which he reached out and caught her hand. She gasped as he pulled it behind her back, arousing a loud groan. Gritting her teeth, Mulan used her nimble feet and kicked him in the lower stomach. He let out a pain filled moan, and his grip on her hand lost its intensity.

She immediately ducked out of his reach and was greeted with a large Hun. Standing protectively near his leader, he let out a gibberish-filled yell and ran at her. Mulan drew in a deep breath and went at him. Raising her foot, she went at his nose and hit it directly on target. He fell to the ground with a moan, and with one small karate chop on his back, he drifted into unconsciousness.

Mulan took a second to catch her breath before she looked up. Shan Yu had disappeared from where he had been, and was replaced with shadows of all shapes and sizes. Mulan sighed and after disassembling the dark figures, raced down the black staircase.

"Shang! Shang!" she called as loud as she could. No reassuring voice rose over the hubbub. No response at all.

"Mulan!" A feminine voice called out her name and she spun around hurriedly.

"Mulan!" Mulan found the direction of the voice, and slowly but surely made her way through the disastrous room. She stood up straighter to try to catch sight of the caller. To her relief, she spotted Snow White sitting in a heap amongst a pile of frying pans.

Without a word, Mulan picked up her cumbersome skirts and raced to the younger girl's side.

Snow White's hair had gone from prettily bobbed to a hellish rat's nest. Her yellow skirt was littered with ashes and splotches of black who-knows-what, and one of her blue sleeves was askew. Mulan paid her appearance no mind as she bent hurriedly to her and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I, I think so," Snow White said slowly.

"Come on," Mulan yelled above the noise and she seized the girl's arm, and they ran out.

* * *

"Snow White, let's keep going," Mulan pleaded. The petite girl was nearly sleep walking at the pace they were going. After managing with some martial arts and running, they had exited the terrorized city. Mulan was most earnest about getting as far away from the palace as possible, but the younger girl wasn't so keen on the idea.

"I can barely walk," Snow White said groggily. Her voice thick with need of sleep and from tiresome running, "Please, slow down."

Mulan instantly halted the two of them. Snow White's frame was turning frail and from a push to the shoulder, she would surely fall over from exhaustion. Mulan herself was not feeling too hot. Her mind was filled with worries and horrific thoughts. Shan Yu had died! Fireworks exploding all around him should have killed him, right?

Apparently not, for the cruel and antagonistic man was still out there, terrorizing innocent people and causing a world of pain to fall on Corona. Gulping thickly to herself, her mind wondered to where Shang was. He hadn't answered her desperate call, and she hoped to all that was sweet and merciful that he wasn't killed. She already nearly lost him once, she did not want to experience that emptiness and pain again.

She hurriedly wiped a heavy clump of sweaty bangs from her brow. Even in Corona's cool fall weather, she was perspiring like a pig. Mulan heaved a breath and said to Snow White, "I know, I know. But we have to keep going."

The younger youth nodded miserably, and Mulan tightened her grip on the girl's arm. Their little break gave them a chance to refuel on their lost oxygen, and with it found, Mulan and Snow White plodded on.

They ran on and on for mile after mile, taking an occasional rest near Corona's river. Mulan only thought as she splashed some water into her face that she hoped that they'd make it to some shelter soon, or they might have to take a nap on the cold hard ground, a prospect that Mulan wasn't looking forward to.

Nearly an hour after they had taken a small breather, they came across a hedge of blackberry bushes. Quiet moonlight let light fall on the growing grove. Tall, gangly and losing all signs of life with it being the season of falling leaves, it stuck out like a sore thumb. It wasn't the visage that caught Mulan's eye, however, and made her groan: it was the massive amount of briars protruding out of the branches.

Mulan let out a tired and fiery hiss before she let go of Snow White's arm and spun around the hedge. There seemed to be nothing but noticeable bits of dried blackberries that were shriveled and covered in holes. Mulan wondered how they had survived the summer.

A rustling from beyond them made Mulan turn. Narrowing her eyes, the rustling noise grew more apparent. Snow White's breathing grew quieter as she whispered, "Mulan, what's that?"

"Ssshhh," Mulan hushed. The bush rustled even more and Mulan quickly stood in a battle stance. Her legs spread apart and were attached firmly to the ground. Her hands sprung into a butt-kicking position and she listened closely.

A shout came from the bushes and a black thing was thrown against the thorns. Mulan's position slacked slightly at the sound of, "What the heck! Move, you stupid thorns!"

Snow White and Mulan watched as Meg stumbled out of the brush. Her flowing pink skirt was caught in places with thin needles, and her gold necklace was laced about in the strangest directions. The Greek girl fumbled with a branch in her hair as she continued with her annoyed yelling, "Son of a sheep wolf! For the love of Athens!"

"Meg?" Mulan called over to her. The Chinese girl had relaxed and she quietly walked over to her. Out of instinct, Meg swung her frying pan at her, bedraggled bangs in her face and yelled, "What do you want? My night is going just like a toothpick versus a gladiator and I would rather have it not be any worse!"

"Meg," Mulan said, bit frustrated at her behavior as she dodged the frying pan and knocked the cumbersome hair out of her face with a swipe of her hand, "it's Mulan."

Meg straightened and tossed the rest of her hair back. Sighing in relief, she said, "You could have mentioned that. Rapunzel has a bum arm, and I need a doctor."

Mulan looked from Snow White to Meg and said to the Greek girl, "We don't have any medical experience."

"I know, I kinda figured that," Meg added sarcastically. She held the frying pan close to her thin body and added, "Did you know any doctors in town?"

"Um, no, I've barely been here a day," Mulan pointed out. Snow White gave a slight groan and joined them. The bobby haired princess said drowsily, "I think there might be a doctor invited."

"Who?" Meg earnestly asked. Snow White yawned and stretched her arms lazily and said, "I don't really remember his name, but I think it was Sweat or something."

"Sweet, Joshua Sweet. Medical officer," Meg quickly recited from memory.

"You know him?" Mulan asked wonderingly. She gently stooped and retrieved one of her red slippers. She lifted her foot out of it and shook out the pebbles, bits of dirt and assorted annoying little tidbits of who-knows-what.

"No," Meg smirked slightly, though it was hard to tell in the faint moonlight, "I just heard a guy keeping saying that. He was across from my table and he would not shut up!"

"Okay, do we know where he is?" Snow White piped up.

"Um, we don't even know where we are!" Meg pointed out angrily. A firm frown planted on her face, though neither of the black haired girls noticed it. Instead, they both turned around and noticed a light coming toward them. A faint yellow light, but a light nevertheless.

"I mean," Meg continued, completely oblivious, "we are lost, in the woods, after being run out by a bunch of evil villains and dark-colored minions!"

"Meg!" Mulan yelled loudly, quickly replacing her shoe in panic. Meg sighed and balancing her frying pan on her open and extended hand, "What?"

To answer her question, a shout rang out from the bright light, "I hear voices! Get them, and take them to Maleficent!"

The glowing light illuminated the area, showing that it was torches, being held by dozens of pig-nosed thugs. The loud noises of their yelling and their footsteps announced their arrival. Mulan, Snow White and Meg's eyes widened and Mulan shouted, "Run!"

The three girls, Meg still faithfully carrying her kitchen skillet, picked up their skirts and ran. Grasping each others hands, Mulan led them through the blackberry bushes, rushing so fast that the briars didn't nearly hurt as much as they would have. They did hurt, however, and stuck into their flouncy and silky clothing, catching them in places and making little cuts in their fine skin.

Mulan's breathing escalated as they ran, her knuckles gone white against the slight wrinkles on Meg's hands. She was sharing the hand which held the frying pan, making her grip barely a hold. They somehow made it through the area though, causing Mulan to let go and scan the clearing hesitatingly before Meg scoffed and ran ahead, crying, "Come on!"

Jim flicked a bit of hair out of his face glumly, and Morph tried to comfort Rapunzel. Turning into a teddy bear, he called to her and smiled, hopeful to make her feel better. Rapunzel heard him and looked up, tear stains still apparent on her thin skin. The space goo smiled brighter, causing Rapunzel to wipe her nose and give him a little smile in return. Things weren't as bad as they seemed, right?

Apparently, no. A loud noise made Jim and Rapunzel's heads jerk up. Meg came plowing through with Mulan and Snow White on her heels. While the black-haired girls stopped for a breath, Meg ranted hurriedly, "There are minions with torches, we have to go NOW!"

Within minutes they were safely being carried to the Snuggly Duckling. Ariel had been awakened and had groggily been placed on top of the horse by Jim, who hoisted himself up. The other three girls, chameleon and space goo piled on and without a moment to lose, they all raced toward safety.

Rapunzel was in the back in order not to be squished between the heavily panting girls. Cradling her arm carefully, she realized that Mulan and Snow White had no idea about the capturing of the Disney Princes. She raised her voice to tell them when Jim said something angrily under his breath. Rapunzel straightened and asked, "What happened, Jim?"

"Oh, nothing, we just left B.E.N. there!" Jim pointed out.

Rapunzel bit her lip and asked, "Do you think that he'll be okay?"

Jim sighed hastily and answered in a calmer voice, "Yeah, I think he'll be okay." When a silence filled the air, he added, "How much longer to the Snuggly Duckling?"

"About twenty minutes," Rapunzel replied quietly. Her eyelids threatened to fall over her eyes, and she relented and let them fall. A gently snore later, she was out like a light, leaning against Snow White.

She was so asleep, she didn't remember when they rode up to the Snuggly Duckling, nor when she was gently lifted off of the horse, and taken into the bar.

* * *

A creaking noise and several faint shouts made Rapunzel open her eyes gently. She was not sure where she was, nor how she had gotten there. From what she could see, she was in a small wooden bed, covered with fresh white blankets. Next to the bed was a small wooden table and lantern. A window that was slanted slightly was near the end of the small room, and a dresser and a mirror and an armchair were next to it.

Rapunzel could hear a small chirp from next to her, and she slowly turned to face the voice. To her relief, Pascal was sitting on the bed table with a worried look on his face. When she had turned, a smile grew on his little features, and he sat up straighter.

"Hey, Pascal. Where are we?" Rapunzel whispered.

A door extending from the enclosed room opened and a dark figure walked in. Setting a tray of some sorts down next to a smiling Pascal, who was greeted with a little scratch on his back, the figure crossed the room to the window and with one swift movement, thrust the curtain aside.

Rapunzel sat up quickly at the sudden amount of sunshine and nearly screamed with pain. Blinking to get her eyes to function, she drew back the covers with her left arm, and gave a little gasp. Her right arm was completely bandaged with fresh white gauze. The cast extended from her shoulder to her wrist.

A bit taken back by it, Rapunzel looked at it strangely. It seemed weird to have her otherwise normally fully functioning hand to be bundled up. Her attention was diverted, however, when the figure called to her, "You're at the Snuggly Duckling."

To her relief, it was Esmeralda standing near the window with her hands on her hip. Rapunzel's face screwed into a face of confusion. Her mind was spinning at the recent events and she was not really sure what she was talking about.

"Huh?" Rapunzel said in a uncertain voice.

"You asked the frog where you are, and you're at the Snuggly Duckling," Esmeralda said cheerfully.

Rapunzel turned to Pascal, who eagerly nodded in response.

"How did I get here?" Rapunzel asked. The call for rest came over her, and she settled down against the covers again.

"Well," Esmeralda began as she crossed the room and sat on the end of the bed. "Late last night, after the villains showed up, you, Mulan, Ariel, Snow White, Meg, Jim, the frog over there and his little companion came riding up on Phoebus' horse."

"He's a chameleon, actually," Rapunzel said. A cough came over her and she started to hack.

"Okay, but he kinda looks like a frog," Esmeralda pointed out as she reached and held out a cup of water from the tray to Rapunzel. Pascal gave her an indignant look. Rapunzel welcomed the glass and while she slowly sipped, Esmeralda put a hand to her forehead.

"Hmm, you feel a bit warm there, honey," Esmeralda said, concerned. She grabbed a cloth from the tray and dipped it into the water pitcher. Her skillful hand wrung the excess water out of the cloth and she neatly packed it into a rectangle. She plastered it on Rapunzel's forehead as she continued, "Your coughing is probably from all the smoke you might have ingested."

Rapunzel handed her back the water and with a groan, settled back against the pillow. Smoke, right.

"Anyway," Esmeralda continued gently, "you all were brought in, barely conscious. Meg, Mulan and Snow White are sharing a larger room, and you and Ariel were examined."

A horrific thought came into Rapunzel's head and she hurriedly asked, "Who was the doctor?"

"Me," Esmeralda smiled. "I'm a bit in the know how when it comes to injuries. You were still a bit awake until I set your arm, which caused you to black out."

"How's Ariel?" Rapunzel asked next.

"Can you say anything but questions?" Esmeralda gave a slight laugh. "She's fine, and she's sleeping soundly. Well," she said as she stood up, "I should get going. More people are being brought in."

Rapunzel gave her a small nod and said softly, "Thank you." Esmeralda nodded and took some things from the tray and placed them on the table, and with the tray against her hip, she walked out the door.

Pascal smiled when she left and he turned to Rapunzel with a scared face. Looking over her hurriedly, his frightened eyes showed Rapunzel just how scared he was. A small smile crossed her face as she reached out and slowly rubbed him on his back.

"Hey, Pascal, don't worry. Soon this will be over. We'll be back at the castle with Mama and Father and Maximus and Eu, Eugene," her voice broke as she stumbled over her husband's name. How had he gotten captured? How could she have let him go? She thought of herself as stupid occasionally, and now her act of letting him go only solidified her thought.

She blinked her eyes back, allowing a few stray tears to streak down her face. Pascal sighed sadly and jumped off the table onto her bed. Scurrying to her face, he gently wiped away the fallen drops with a corner of the blanket.

"Thanks, buddy," Rapunzel said faintly. Pascal smiled reassuringly and crawled off of her when she started to sit up. Careful not to use her right hand, she carefully sat up straight. She set to work eating the breakfast that Esmeralda had brought up, giving bits of apple to Pascal.

Once she was finished, she set the things back on the table and laid back down with a sigh. Pascal settled down contentedly on the table and closed his eyes.

Rapunzel wasn't sure what she should do. She was sure that she was supposed to stay in bed, but why? So, she had a little fever and a broken arm, but that wasn't that bad, right? She would have to ask Esmeralda when she came in if she could go downstairs.

Her attention was caught when she heard a soft knock on the door.

"Come in," she quickly called, starved for company beside the sleeping chameleon on her right. The door slowly opened and Hook Hand walked in. A smile appeared on the tired princess' face as she eagerly sat up. It was only then did she realize that she was wearing a white nightgown and not the expensive gown she had been wearing to the party.

"Hook Hand! Come on in!" she squealed. The man smiled brightly at her and took a seat on the big armchair that was in the corner.

"How are you feeling, your highness?" he asked. Her smile grew bigger when he asked that; he was concerned for her welfare.

"Well, I have a slight fever, a slight cough and a broken arm, I think I'm doing okay," she laughed wryly. When he didn't reply, she added, "I don't feel too bad."

The look on his face was of a sober sort, much more different than Rapunzel had ever seen from him. He heaved a heavy sigh, playing with his hook hand, telling Rapunzel that he was upset about something.

The silence was broken when he said, "Your highness, we have to do something. The villains are sending out squads of minions looking for you and the other princesses."

A frown curved onto Rapunzel's lips as she propped her head on her hand and asked him, "What should we do?"

"I don't know," Hook Hand confessed. "There are more people arriving every hour, the bar is full to bursting."

"Well, what to do then?" Rapunzel said. The burden of her guests and her people was a heavy one indeed.

"Well, there is the secret passage if we need it. The water has slowly gone down and the place has dried out since Maximus went and destroyed the dam," he informed her.

"That's good," Rapunzel said optimistically. She then sighed and fell back on her pillow in thought. "Hook Hand, we need a long term solution. What we need to do is to stop the villains once and for all."

"How do you plan on doing that, your highness?" queried Hook Hand, moving his chair closer to hear her thoughts.

"By finding out more about them. How did they get here? Why exactly are they here? How can we stop them? These are the questions that we need answers to," Rapunzel said. How did they get here? Magic seemed to be the obvious answer. Most of them had been dead, and magic was the only thing that she could think of that seemed logical, if magic could be deemed logical at all.

How do you defeat magic? Why, with more magic, of course. There was five prominent women that stood out in Rapunzel's brain that could do the job.

"Hook Hand, we need to find Fairy Godmother, The Three Good Fairies and Mama Odie," Rapunzel announced.

Hook Hand's stern face turned into that of confusion. "Who?"

"Fairy Godmother, The Three Good Fairies, and Mama Odie," Rapunzel repeated, this time more slowly.

Hook Hand still didn't seem to get it, "The Pub Thugs, as y'all have taken to call us, haven't seen them at all."

Rapunzel was struck by that. Sitting up straighter, she asked cautiously, "How do you know?"

"Well, most of all the other thugs acted as footmen at the castle. They helped all the people when they arrived and there was no people named Fairy Godmother, The Three Good Fairies or Mama Odie. I checked with all of them to make sure everyone was there, and they never arrived."

His explanation stunned Rapunzel. "Where did they go? I just saw Fairy Godmother yesterday afternoon in London."

"I don't have any ideas, your highness," Hook Hand apologized.

"I mean, why wouldn't they show? They said they would come, and they didn't say anything about not coming," Rapunzel moaned, puzzled. A look of shock came over her face as a sudden realization came to mind. "Hook Hand, you don't think that the villains kidnapped them, do you?"

"That's a worse case scenario, your highness," Hook Hand pointed out.

"We're IN the worse case scenario, Hook Hand!" Rapunzel yelled. Shocked at her own outburst, she slapped a hand over her mouth and said through her palm, "Oh my gosh, Hook Hand, I am SO sorry!"

"It's okay, your highness, but I think you might be right," he agreed solemnly.

At that moment, Esmeralda stuck her head in and called, "Hey, Rapunzel, how you feeling, sweetheart?"

Rapunzel had forgotten about her physical ailments. Her washcloth had fallen off of her head, and her arm was still laying lifelessly by her side. Esmeralda slipped in and checked her forehead.

"Fever's gone, that was quick," the gypsy commented, "and you haven't a cough anymore. That's good."

"Esmeralda, can I ask your opinion on something?" Rapunzel asked her.

"Um, sure, does something else hurt or something?"

"No, but Hook Hand and I were talking and we've noticed that Fairy Godmother, The Three Good Fairies and Mama Odie never arrived at the ball. Do you think that the villains have something to do with that?" Rapunzel wondered.

Esmeralda sighed and brushed a bit of black hair out of her face. "Frankly, there was so many people that I didn't really know who was who."

"But it's a possible theory, right?" Rapunzel repeated.

"Possibly," Esmeralda supposed.

"I think you might be right, your highness," Hook Hand said. "They never show up, and the villains do."

"They have to be connected somehow," Rapunzel said firmly. She took a deep breath and shoved herself up with her left arm. Esmeralda immediately reacted and commanded Rapunzel, "Careful!"

"I'm going downstairs. Hook Hand, please, I need to get dressed," Rapunzel ordered. The man nodded in response and left the room, shutting the door firmly behind him. Rapunzel smiled and carefully lifted herself up. Esmeralda stood by in case she needed help, but there was no need for Rapunzel, despite a slight wince of pain, was able to stand up without much trouble.

Stretching her tired body parts, Rapunzel crossed the room to the mirror. Her brown hair was tossed back and forth, causing her whole face to have a haphazard look. Her brown freckles were coated in a thin layer of shine that consisted of a mixture of sweat and water. Her lips were wind bitten, looking awfully chapped. She ran a finger along them and winced at the pain.

"Here's a dress," Esmeralda called. Rapunzel turned and saw a light blue dress in her arms.

"How'd you get that?" Rapunzel wondered.

"I have my ways," Esmeralda smiled. "Need any help?"

The brunette princess shook her head and answered, "I think I'll be fine."

Esmeralda nodded and carefully laid the dress on the covers and went to the door and left the room.

Rapunzel turned back to the reflecting glass and sighed to the mirror, her reflection mimicking her every move. She saw Pascal in the background on top of the table shielding his eyes with his tail. Smiling at his politeness, Rapunzel turned to the bed. Along with the dress, Esmeralda had left her a pair of long silk socks and her pink ball shoes. Hopefully, she won't need to have to run, for running in those would be quite the pain.

She quickly, and with a certain degree of difficulty, managed to put on the garments. Turning back to the mirror, she questioned the appearance of her hair. She opened a drawer in the dresser and rummaged through it. All that was in it was a couple of beads and an old ring. The ring was intriguing to look at, for it caught the light emitting from the open curtains, causing Rapunzel to pay attention to it.

She lifted it out of the drawer and slowly placed it on her ring finger, right next to her wedding ring. It had a bright shiny diamond like jewel, but upon examination, Rapunzel could immediately tell that it was a fake. Still, it was very pretty, and she was sure that it was not one of the Pub Thugs, for none of them would leave it around in a guest bedroom drawer.

With a shrug, she left the ring on her finger and rummaged through more drawers, finally coming across an old hairbrush full of old assorted hairs. With a hint of disgust, Rapunzel picked out the layer of hair so that the bristles were freed, and she eagerly ran it through her hair. With one final swoop, the styling was finished, and she turned to Pascal with a small smile. He had stopped shielding his eyes when she had gotten her dress on, and he now gave her a thumb's up, and she couldn't help but giggle as she ran to the table and scooped him up. He was such a good friend.

Holding him up to her face, she stroked him gently with her cheek and said, "You are a good friend, Pascal." He gave her a happy chameleon chirp and rubbed her back.

Another knock on the door caught both of their attention, and Rapunzel gave Pascal an apologetic look as she gently set him back on the table and called out, "Yes?"

"Can I come in?" Mulan called out. Rapunzel nodded, and when realizing she couldn't see her nod, answered, "Yes."

The Chinese girl slowly slipped into the room, quiet as a mouse. Her black hair that had been high in a distraught bun was brushed back into its straight regular appearance. She was wearing a plain yellow dress with orange and yellow large stripes around the waist. While she looked very pretty, her face was very concerned.

"I just heard about them getting captured," she hurriedly said. Rapunzel sighed and sat back down on her bed, heedful of her arm.

"This is complete madness!" Mulan continued loudly, tears starting to form in her eyes. Rapunzel nodded miserably.

Pascal crawled over to Mulan and over onto her lap. Turning into a dark blue, his eyes turned big and wide, telling her that he was sad that she was sad.

Mulan couldn't help but let a sad smile cross her lips as she said to Pascal, "Thanks. I'm just so worried!"

"Me too! I mean, wait, when did you receive this news?" Rapunzel asked curiously.

"Well, I was downstairs this morning when a bunny in a red coat and pocket watch named White Rabbit, I think, came rushing in and said, 'All the princes are being questioned by Maleficent!' I managed to wheedle as much out of him as I could. Apparently, they were all captured last night," Mulan explained.

"Including John Smith?" Rapunzel wondered.

"I'm not really quite sure about that," Mulan admitted. "Anyway, Eugene had been questioned by Gothel and Maleficent, and they figured out something to do with him, but we don't know what it is. They're being held in the castle's dungeon, and that's all I've got."

A heavy weight was lifted off of Rapunzel's shoulders. She laid back against the covers and blinked back tears. He was still alive! Her beloved Eugene was alive!

"Did you hear anything about my parents?" she whispered.

Mulan's sad face turned even more sober when she replied, "No, I don't. I don't even know what happened to my parents!" Mulan let out a small sniffle and gave her nose an unladylike wipe.

Rapunzel's heart melted for her friend. The Chinese girl was just as distraught and broken about all this as she was. She reached her small hand out and let it fall on Mulan's shoulder. Giving her a reassuring pat, she said softly, "They'll be okay."

"I hope so," Mulan whispered. She gave out one final prominent sniff and prepared to stand up. Pascal leaped off of her dress onto the disheveled covers and both of the girls stood up.

"Let's go downstairs," Mulan said. Rapunzel nodded, and let her good arm fall onto the bed. Pascal chirped and climbed up her arm lightly in order not to disturb any bruises that might have formed them. Together, the three of them tiptoed out of the room. Rapunzel went out behind Mulan and slowly closed the door, pushing it against the doorframe with a slight thud.

Turning her skirts, she carefully followed Mulan to the stairs. The hall had not any lanterns or candles, sitting half melted in their own tallow, or any windows giving off any source of light. Rapunzel let her good hand drift along the walls to balance herself as she cautiously traversed down the Snuggly Duckling's hall.

The floor on which they walked on itself was bumpy. The floorboards were sometimes thick and clumpy, creating small uneven hills in the wood. Some of them were light and caramel in color, and some of them were darker than a forest at night. Of course, Rapunzel couldn't really tell which was which do to the lack of light.

The shoes she wore did not exactly help the experience. Growing up for eighteen years in a secluded tower, there never was no need for shoes. Her feet themselves, while small and pale, were tough after not having wore anything soft to protect them.

Upon arriving at the castle and being taught how to be a princess, shoes were administered as part of the education. While heavy walking boots and small, petite and delicate ballroom wear was simply abhorred by the brunette, but the soft slippers she wore around her bedroom were quite comfortable. As were Eugene's boots. Sometimes he would leave them laying around, and they were simply begging, pleading and prodding that she take them and slip them on. Since they were so big, they weren't formfitting, leaving her plenty of room for her toesies to breath.

His boots would have been welcome here, for she had been wearing her painful ballroom shoes last night, meaning that those were the ones that she was wearing this morning. She winced when she noticed that a sharp pang of pain was developing in her ankle. Oh joy.

The three finally came across the end of the long and dark hall, revealing a small balcony and uneven steps. Mulan stepped ahead and trotted down the stairs, but Rapunzel took a moment to examine everything. She folded her small arms together, heedful of her arm, and leaned on the railing of the balcony.

The place was slightly more organized than she had thought it would be. People were flooding in through the large front door, Vladimir letting them in one by one. Hook Hand was busy talking loudly with Esmeralda, Kanga and Chicha about something or other. People were sitting around the bar stools by the secret passage, and the Duckling's pets, Milton and Waldo, the goat and warthog, were walking around and tripping people.

Rapunzel carefully let herself stretch over the railing, and was barely able to see below the balcony. Below her, Cookie was busy hovering over his big black pot, and was being assisted by Winston, who was being rather pushy about things. Whatever he was saying, he was making Cookie roll his eyes in annoyance.

Pascal chirped loudly, reminding her that they should go downstairs. Rapunzel straightened back into her small standing form, and carefully laid a hand on the railing as she started to walk down the big stairs. While a little bumpy, the railing was smoothed down with sandpaper, making it feel smooth and silky beneath her palm.

She made it down to the stairwell and turned to go down the rest of the steps. She couldn't hep but smile when she noticed the broken window on her left. They hadn't ever bothered to replace it after a thug had been thrown through it.

Rapunzel slowly crossed the floor, careful to duck and dodge people that were walking around. They all looked very tired and dirty, but yet they were talking a mile a minute. Many of the men and not-so-even-tempered women and animals were arguing and yelling with each other in separate groups. Rapunzel was able to see Mulan, Snow White and Ariel sitting together near the stage. She was relieved to see Tiana bustling about in the bar area, serving drinks and wiping down the sticky bar.

There was Aunt Sarah and Elizabeth Brown, or Darling as she was sometimes called, bouncing Junior on her knee. They sat in a corner, surrounded by their puppies, Annette, Collette, Danielle, Scamp and Angel. Jim Dear, or James Brown, was busy talking with Big Nose over something. Rapunzel was careful not to go near them, Jim Dear seemed to be angry about all this.

Rapunzel stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by yelling people, upset children and loud animals. Pascal threw her a worried look, which she returned. Spinning around, she spotted an empty bar stool. Without any hesitation, she scampered over to the seat and jumped on it as quickly as she could. Her sudden collision with the stool sent it spiraling, nearly taking Rapunzel and Pascal to the floor. The chameleon yelped and covered his eyes in panic as Rapunzel tried to balance the seat.

An arm reached out and caught her good arm, and Rapunzel was able to set up straight. She inhaled deeply and turned to her right. Jim let go of her arm and she said, "Thanks."

"No problem," he answered, turning back to his drink. Morph floated around in the air next to him, and he threw her a smile and a wave. Pascal crawled down Rapunzel's arm and onto the recently cleaned bar. Morph went near him and the two started the most interesting conversation consisting of hand gestures and large amounts of chirping.

"What are they talking about?" Rapunzel wondered aloud.

"I don't know. Something amazing, I guess," was Jim's response.

Jim's mom, Sarah Hawkins, was in her apron and work dress behind the bar. Her brown hair tucked back into a bun, she walked up to Rapunzel and said, "How are you doing, your highness?"

"Well, I've been better," Rapunzel said, sighing. "Can I please get a drink?"

"Sure, dear," Sarah answered cheerfully. She noticed out of the corner of her eye Jim's drink and she instantly swiped it.

"Two waters, coming right up!" she yelled cheerfully.

"Uh, Mom! That was not beer!" Jim scowled.

"You're getting water," was Sarah's reply as she poured what was his drink into the chuck bucket.

"Ugh, Mom!" Jim groaned. He leaned against the counter and ran his fingers through what hair was sticking out of his usual ponytail.

Rapunzel couldn't help but smirk at his reaction. A kind smirk, mind you. Sarah came back to them with two full mugs and deposited them onto the bar, "There you go! Jim," she turned to her son, "stop looking so sulky."

Rapunzel smiled at her and took her mug. The water felt nice and cold against her dry throat. It helped keep her mind off of what was happening around here.

"Your highness?" Hook Hand called to her from where he was standing near the doorway. Rapunzel gulped a mouthful of liquid and set her wooden cup on the bar. Turning to the Pub Thug, she answered, "Yes?"

"I would like to show you something," he said. Rapunzel turned to Pascal, who was busy talking with Morph. Seeing no need to bother him to come with her, she shrugged and hopped off the seat and joined Hook Hand.

"Come outside for a moment, your highness, where it's less crowded," Hook Hand suggested. Rapunzel nodded and they walked to the large door. Rapunzel frowned when she noticed that they had also not bothered to take down the Flynn Rider wanted poster. The way that the guards had drawn his nose not only was insulting, it was just plain mean.

"Open the door, Vlad," Hook Hand commanded. The larger Pub Thug nodded and opened the door, giving Rapunzel a wide smile.

While Hook Hand walked through, Rapunzel asked, almost timidly, "Hey, Vladimir, can you take down that wanted poster?"

Vladimir carefully closed the door to face the paper. He tore it off without a word and crumpled it with his beefy hands. Turning back to Rapunzel, he opened the door with a slight bow.

"Thank you!" Rapunzel said brightly. She followed Hook Hand outside. To her vast dismay, the air had the slight smell and look of smoke. Hook Hand didn't seem to notice her wrinkled nose. He was busy saying, "Your highness, the mice have a plan."

"Huh?" Rapunzel wondered. The look on her face was that of pure confusion. Hook Hand pointed to a hollow long log that was beneath the broken window. Rapunzel stooped down on her knees and peered inside. She let out a surprised gasp at what she saw.

Inside the large log, there was a mini society. Mice were bustling about, carrying boxes, making beds and cooking in little fires along the wall of the log. Large amounts of talking and yelling loudly filled the air as Rapunzel watched, wide-eyed. Hook Hand grinned, his hands on his hips, and bent down next to her.

"You see, your highness, these creatures are going to be very helpful," Hook Hand smiled.

Bianca was busy making up a bed when she saw the two heads bent down near the entrance. Finishing with fluffing up a pillow, she smiled and wiped her hands on her working dress as she slowly made her way to the humans.

"Hello, your highness," Bianca smiled. Rapunzel giggled at the cuteness of talking to a little mouse and replied, "Hello to you."

"My name is Bianca, your highness, and I am a member of the newly formed Disney Rescue Aid Society," Bianca informed her.

Rapunzel's eyebrows furrowed as she asked, "The what society?"

Bianca held up her finger as a signal for her to wait as she walked out of the log and onto the dirt path. Rapunzel scrambled from her position of being on her stomach in a sitting one and Hook Hand placed his hands on his knees as he squatted.

"Well, you see, darling, the Disney Rescue Aid Society. Myself and my husband, Bernard, and the other mice have formed a society in which we join together to help you with anything you need us to do," Bianca explained.

Hook Hand cleared his throat and said, "I have an idea of what they can do, your highness. Mice are small, right?"

"Right," Rapunzel answered.

"Yes, yes we are," Bianca added.

"Well, here's an idea. Since they are so small and quick, nobody would be able to notice them in a large place, say, a castle," Hook Hand started.

Rapunzel was quite puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"I think what he is trying to say is that we could be spies!" Bianca squealed. Hook Hand nodded in response. "Oh, what a good idea, Mr. Hook Hand! We have so many mice here! There's Jaq and Gus and Dormouse and Timothy and-"

"Yes, I think that could work! Do you think that it would work?" Rapunzel asked Hook Hand. The man's head went back and forth like a bobblehead. "It could."

"Really? Why, I think I'll go organize it right now, it was pleasant meeting you, your highness goodbye," Bianca smiled. She threw the both of them a little wave as she turned and walked back into the log. Rapunzel waved back and upon standing up, followed Hook Hand back into the Snuggly Duckling.

Bianca stood straight and firm in the middle of the wood floor. Cupping her small and furry hands together, she called out, "Bernard? Bernard, where are you?"

A mouse's head peeked out from under a stack of cute little kindling. "Yes, dear?" he called, standing up. He screeched when he started to stand up and accidentally bumped his head on a small stick. Rubbing his head, slightly miffed, he walked over to Bianca and asked, "Yes?"

"Oh, Bernard, I need your help getting everyone's attention," Bianca explained.

"Why do you need to do that?" Bernard asked.

"Well, the princess of Corona needs all our help defeating the villains," Bianca told him excitedly.

"Wait, how?" Bernard wondered.

The flustered look on his face made Bianca giggle into her paw. "Why, we're going to be spies!"

Bernard stuttered, "Sp-spies?"

"Yes, that is what the princess wants us to do. Now, help me get everyone's attention," Bianca gently commanded Bernard. She started calling while he just stood there, stunned for a minute. Spies, them? All he and Bianca could do was save children! How was this idea supposed to work?

"Come on, Bernard, help me!" Bianca said to him. His attention was caught, and he cupped his paws together and yelled, "Okay, everyone, gather up, please!"

The mice immediately dropped what they were doing and gathered around Bernard and Bianca.

"What are we doin', Miss Biancy?" Jaq asked, Gus and Mary by his side.

"It better not involve moving around," Dormouse yawned, sleepily falling against the floor. Olivia squeaked as he nearly fell on her boots. Hiram immediately held out his arms and caught the sleepy mouse.

"Actually, it will," Bianca smiled. She knew how much Dormouse didn't like moving around.

"Will, will is involve cheese?" Roquefort asked hopefully. He so did love a bit of cheese.

"No, it won't, but it will be exciting!" Bianca smiled, clapping her hands together. "Everyone, sit down." All the mice shuffled about as they sat down and got comfortable on the wooden floor. Bernard took off his jacket and let it fall on the ground, gesturing to Bianca to sit on it.

"Thank you, dear," Bianca said pleasantly as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and sat down. Bernard's face flushed as he sat down next to her. Clapping her paws together once again, she called out loudly, "Everyone, settle down!"

All the mice soon quieted down, not one whispered to the person next to them. Bianca clasped her hands together and folded them on her lap.

"Now, this morning was I was visited by one Mr. Hook Hand and the princess of Corona, Rapunzel, and they had an idea. They don't know why the villains came like they did, and they need information. So, we came up with the plan of all of us to be spies!" Bianca announced enthusiastically.

The mood of the quiet mice disappeared in an instant. They each turned and whispered and yelled loudly to their neighbors.

"Us? Spies?" Dr. Dawson said uncertainly.

"Oh, come on, Doctor, it'll just be like in London! Searching the castle corridors for clues!" Basil exclaimed. He fished into his brown detective's jacket and brought out his trusty magnify glass. "It shall be grand!"

"Yes," Bianca chuckled, "yes it shall. Now, we must get organized into teams of two. Then when they need information, we send a team or two out to do the job."

"Alright, let's get paired up then!" Jake yelled, leaping up onto his feet.

"Alright, let's see. I'll go with Bernard, and Jake, you can go with," Bianca scanned the crowd. Dormouse was sleeping against the log, so he was a no. Everyone else seemed to not seem to go well with Jake, except one. "Gus!"

Jake's smile turned upside down at that. While Bianca paired Jaq and Mary, Doctor Dawson and Basil, and Roquefort and Timothy, he stood dumbfounded. Gus didn't seem to notice him looking like that, for he tottered from his place on the floor next to Jake and held out his hand, "Hi, I Gus."

Jake sighed and held out his hand, "Name's Jake, mate. Charmed."

"Really? What we going ta do, Jake?" Gus wondered.

Jake sighed again as he let his head rest in his propped up paw. "We are going to be spying on the villains, old boy."

"Really? How we do that?" Gus asked.

"By being quick and stealthy, that's how," Jake responded. He sighed again. This was going to be fun.

Bianca was quickly addressing the rest of the assembly. "Hiram, we'll need you to stay here to keep an eye on things."

"Alright, I can do that, miss," Hiram answered.

"And, Dormouse, you can sleep all you like," Bianca whispered, for he was on the verge of falling asleep. Sitting in a broken teacup, his snoring was causing his little red bow tie to flop all over his shirt. Upon hearing her voice, he stirred and sat up. Yawning loudly, he called out lazily, "And I'll make the tea!"

"Yes, yes, you can make the tea," Bianca told him.

Olivia frowned from her spot and propped her head on her hands. How come everyone else gets to help and I can't? she wondered to herself. She was a little mouse of action, and she didn't like sitting around. With this in mind, she softly grunted as she carefully stood up. Walking firmly over to Bianca, she tugged on the lady's skirt. Bianca felt the tugging and turned to see Olivia.

"Oh, hello, deary!" Bianca smiled as she stooped down to Olivia's level. "Can I help you with something?"

Olivia, seeing no more need to hold onto her skirt, let go and folded her small furry arms and said, "Why can't I be a spy?"

"Well, dear," Bianca began gently. Talking in simple words would be best with the child. "We don't need any more teams of spies, we have too many."

"Really?" Olivia said, quite unmoved.

"Really! Now, I need you to help Ellie Mae and Luke when they come back from the creek with water. They need help keeping this log clean, okay?" Bianca asked her hopefully.

Olivia's small arms drooped down to her sides and she sighed in defeat. "Okay."

"That's a good girl!" Bianca smiled as she rose from her knees and straightened up. Dusting herself off, she held out her hand to the little girl and asked, "Would you like to help me make lunch?"

Olivia let a smile slip onto her face and she reached out and gripped the older lady's hand. Bianca smiled and the two of them headed to the kitchens.

* * *

"So, do you think that it will actually work?" Rapunzel wondered. She was sitting on the wooden stage in the Snuggly Duckling, the great baby piano behind her. The rush for drinks had stopped for a while and Tiana was sitting next to her. Black hair was plastered on her face with sweat, and she lazily fanned herself with a rag.

Ariel had knocked her ballroom shoes off and was sitting carefully in a wooden rocking chair (why the Snuggly Duckling had a rocking chair, Rapunzel didn't ask or wonder why they did) and Mulan was sitting next to her. Snow White was busy in the corner, having borrowed a pair of knitting needles from Bruiser. The red yarn she had acquired was rapidly turning into a garment of some kind. Her worried behavior was apparent in the way that she kept looking at the doorway every few stitches.

Cinderella was wearing a plain dress with her hair tucked away under a white kerchief. She was busy sweeping up the little bits of dirt and grime inhabiting the Snuggly Duckling's wood floor. Jasmine was sitting on a chair, facing the back of it. She had her legs wrapped around the thin legs of it, and she, like Snow White, kept looking at the door worriedly.

Belle was sitting precariously on the piano bench. Laying her head on her folded arms that were sitting on the ivory piano keys, she absentmindedly let her fingers trot along the keys. Aurora was next to her, joining her in her soft random playing. Pocahontas was busy pacing up and down the uneven floor, arms folded and face pinched with worry.

"Well," Cinderella said in answer to the lost princess' question, "I suppose it could."

"Yeah, I mean, they're bound to hear something," Jasmine turned from the chair to face Rapunzel.

"What I can't understand is what did they do to Aunt Flora, Fauna and Merryweather?" Aurora sighed.

"It's the magic they have, I guess," Tiana suggested. She eased herself up straighter as she added, "Maybe they needed their magic or something."

"There HAS to be a reason!" Rapunzel moaned, folding her arms. She leaned against the piano and gave a slight moan. The other princesses voiced their own opinions of the crisis by sighing.

Their sighing was interrupted, however, when Vladimir opened the large door, allowing in Bernard, Bianca, Doctor Dawson and Basil. The four scurried over to the stage. Upon reaching the ten princesses, Bianca gave them a mini curtsy while the male mice gave them a quick bow.

"We are ready to go, your highnesses. Mr. Pacha is dropping us off near the bridge," Bianca informed them. They each gave her encouraging nods and Rapunzel bent down to get nearer to her level. "I hope all goes well, and, Bianca, if you see Eugene, or any of the Disney Princes, please tell them we hope they're okay and we'll get them out of there." The ex-lost princess let a tear fall down her cheek.

Bianca, at seeing the tear, reached into her purse and pulled out a tiny hanker-chief. "Oh, your highness, here, dry your eyes." Rapunzel gratefully took the bitty bit of cloth and dabbed her eyes.

Bianca smiled and turned to the other princesses, "We bid farewell!" And the four turned on their heels, and with Vladimir leading them out, walked out the door.

**Yes, I did it! Did anyone see that? *Looks around room and sees nothing staring at me but a soda can* Eh, whatever. It's over ten thousand words! (Including the author's notes, but that's okay!) I hope this will hold y'all over until after the holidays, and I hope you like it! Now I can make my holiday fics, including The Tangled Days of Christmas, coming out on Blu-Ray and DVD everywhere! JK, but look for it in a couple of days on FanFiction!**


	18. We're Going SPYIN', BABY!

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Tangled or any of the mentioned Disney movies or characters. Yay, I'm finally updating this story! Sorry about the long wait. :) I was wondering, maybe we could get the review count up to a hundred? Please and thanks and please read!**

Vladimir led the four mice out into the bright October day, avoiding Jacchus, who was leaping around and running into trees. Bianca, holding onto Bernard's arm, pointed to the bucking donkey and whispered to Bernard, "Do you think he is all right?"

Bernard turned to look where she was pointing and said slowly, "I'm not exactly sure."

They followed Vladimir, Doctor Dawson and Basil to the small cart that Pacha was going to drive. The friendly farmer smiled as Vladimir lifted the four mice up onto the wagon seat. Once on, they sat down comfortably and wiggled their legs to get them into a good position.

"Hello there," Pacha said conversationally.

"Hello to you," Bianca said brightly, reaching out her paw to meet his hand, "I'm Bianca and this is my husband, Bernard, and these are our friends, Doctor Dawson and Basil of Baker Street."

"Charmed, I'm sure," Basil said pleasantly as Pacha shook each of their paws in turn, nearly lifting them all off their feet in the process.

Once they were done, they all turned back to face the front. Pacha grabbed the rope reins and was about to tell Widowmaker to giddy-up when Vladimir turned to him, his face sober and dark.

"You must be careful, there might be minions or shadows lurking around the forest," Vladimir warned. Pacha nodded understandingly and said just as firmly, "I will." Without another exchanged word, Pacha started Widowmaker up and they headed down the dirt path to the dirt road.

They turned and went down the road, bumpy and muddy as it was. Bernard held onto Bianca's arm protectively, for the jar of the wagon wasn't exactly the most comfortable way to travel. Basil and Doctor Dawson gazed around for any sign of evil villains, Basil's face all alit with excitement while Doctor Dawson looked rather scared as he clenched the handle of his leather bag tightly.

The six of them remained silent for a while, for they all seemed to be at a lost for words (except for Widowmaker. He couldn't exactly talk even if he wanted to). Bianca finally decided to fill the empty word void and said loudly, "So, Mr. Pacha, what is your horse's name?"

Pacha scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Actually, he isn't my horse, but I know his name."

"What, what is it?" Bernard asked nervously, still very tense about their mission. Usually missions would more adventurous than painful, as this one was.

"Widowmaker," Pacha said thoughtfully. Bianca and Bernard exchanged fearful looks as Basil and Doctor Dawson turned to look at them.

There was no more conversation during the duration of the trip to the bridge.

After turning a corner around the brown, crisp leaves sprouting out of the trees, they spotted the bridge leading into Corona. Unfortunately for them, it was being guarded by two large and grey Hun soldiers, with spears. Sharp spears.

Pacha slowed Widowmaker down as quickly as he could so that the cart was still hidden behind the trees. Bianca and Bernard shared worried looks as the llama herder sighed and looked down at them and asked, "So, what do you think we should do?"

Bernard gulped and Doctor Dawson shivered. Bianca, however, straightened up and answered in her accented voice, "We'll climb down from here. We're so small that the Huns won't be able to see us."

"I don't even think that they can see their abnormally large feet," Basil commented as he drew out his pipe and let out a grey wisp.

Bernard gulped again as the rest of the mice agreed to the plan. Pacha held out one of his large hands and they all climbed in, Bianca nearly dragging Bernard by the arm. Once they were all settled on his palm, Pacha lowered them onto the dirt ground. They scampered off of his hand (Basil grabbed Bernard's other arm at this point to help Bianca) and turned back to him.

"Thank you for the ride, Mr. Pacha. We should be able to take it from here," Bianca informed him pleasantly as if he had just dropped them off at a tea or other non-dangerous social event.

"My pleasure," Pacha said, tipping his little brown hat before calling in a low tone so that the Huns wouldn't hear, "giddy-up!" Widowmaker sighed and managed to turn the little, creaky cart around. The two made their way back around the corner and out of sight.

With that, the four mice turned to face the bridge, putting on brave faces.

"Let's do this," Bianca declared, and with that, she and Basil marched on ahead, being followed by their less than enthusiastic companions.

Luckily for them, it was fall, and when it was fall, that meant that a great deal of leaves had fallen. All those crisp, multicolored leaves were a great help in avoiding the Huns' detection. They scampered along the road, going from left to right so that if the Huns DID spot them, they would be puzzled in which way they were going a lot quicker.

They managed to get right by a small tree which was right next to the bridge. Bernard could easily see the taunt and flabby muscles on one of the Huns, making him gulp yet again. All this danger and such (you'd think he would have gotten used to it after a while), was making his throat uncomfortably dry.

"All right, Bernard, Basil, Doctor, when I say 'Now', we all dash onto the bridge, all right?" Bianca said, rather pleasantly, Bernard noted. He looked down to see his paws all sweaty and he hurriedly wiped them on his shirt (which, unfortunately, was his fine dress shirt, he had been to a ball last night, after all).

Doctor Dawson and Basil nodded understandingly, and the four braced themselves. Bianca grabbed Bernard's arm and he could make out her voice slowly muttering under her breath, "Three, two, one, NOW!" She squealed excitedly and before Bernard could get in a word, she bounded right in front of the Huns' feet and onto the bridge.

Bernard gasped and held onto his hat as he ran as fast as he could to keep up with her jogging feet. When they hadn't spotted the mice, Bianca decided to keep running, which she did, not looking back.

Right behind them came the puffing figure of Doctor Dawson and the quietly cheering detective of Baker Street.

"Right on, Bianca! Brilliant!" Basil said excitedly. Bernard couldn't help but note that he didn't seem too out of breath at all whilst he himself was breathing like a tired elephant.

Without so much as sounding the slightest bit tired, Bianca responded, "Thank you, Basil!" and with that, they raced through the streets of Corona, occasionally taking a small break to catch their (Bernard and the good Doctor's) breath. Bianca looked about the damage of Corona and sighed, "This is horrible, those awful villains!"

The place looked horrible indeed, and what's more, Doctor Facilier's shadows were patrolling the streets, giving the entire burnt village an ominous atmosphere.

"Indeed, quite so, madam," Doctor Dawson was able to make out before Bianca set them to running again. The shadows were particularly hard to avoid, being all slippery and smooth around the walls. But, this was Bianca we're talking about. She was able to get them around the town as though she had lived there her entire life. Before either of the boys (except Basil, he was rather attentive) knew it, they were in the courtyard right in front of the castle.

They all gulped as they survived the blacked and crisp flowers lining the once merry looking but now grey colored rails. Luckily for them, the marble castle wasn't badly burnt at all, just a rather depressing shade of dull silver.

"Let's split up," Bianca said quietly. The boys turned to her, slightly shocked, as she continued, "We'll get more ground covered." Before anyone could argue, Bianca pulled on Bernard's arm and pulled him into a run as she scampered toward the stairs. Bernard looked around helplessly as Doctor Dawson and Basil hurried around a corner before sighing and going after Bianca.

"Bianca, dear," Bernard panted as he climbed over the steps, "let's not be hasty!"

"I have a plan, Bernard," Bianca smiled as she held out her hand to help him get over the last step.

"You do?" Bernard asked. She smiled even more broadly and said as she turned, "No, not really."

With that comforting thought, Bernard rushed after her. Bianca was an incredibly nimble mouse. She peered around corners and raced around like a track athlete. Bernard had quite the job following her.

They had to keep stopping suddenly to avoid the patrolling Huns and minions, who all cast an incredibly nasty stench which made Bernard want to gag.

Bianca led them to a large door which was slightly opened. Gesturing with her paw for Bernard to follow her, she slipped through the crack, Bernard following her reluctantly.

The room they entered was filled with several tables and chairs, all regal and such, covered in sweet scarlet fabric and dark trimmings. Nearly all the golden suns that had once lined the walls were covered with pieces of haphazardly placed black felt. All the windows had been closed so all the candles and fire in the fireplace were lit.

Bianca and Bernard saw that all the chairs were filled with ten figures, all emitting a truly evil air. Both mice clenched their fists as they recognized them. The ten Disney villains.

They both tried to control their breathing as the person in the center seat said in a cool, crisp voice, "So, Gothel, is there a reason why you choose to save the despicable thief's life?"

An answering voice answered back just as smoothly, "Why, dear Maleficent, he and the other Disney Princes are practically the only thing we have against them. If you haven't noticed, several Disney characters had escaped last night, including _all the Disney Princesses. _Because of your very inadequate minions, we haven't gotten what we want."

"I KNOW that Gothel, has is that relevant _at all _to your choice of saving his life?" Maleficent butted in quickly in a hissing voice.

"He is a very good ransom when he is _alive _and not _dead_," Gothel pointed out.

"But we have _nine _more Disney Princes for ransom. Why do we need him?" Lady Tremaine asked.

"I thought about that, and I decided, is it fair that everyone else has their particular prince apprehended and mine just gets hanged? I decided I want in, too," Gothel said smoothly.

"Well," Gaston said as he leaned against his chair with his hands functioning as a pillow for his head, "I'd say those princesses should be able to give in easily."

"Yes, quite so," the Evil Queen said coolly. "After all, without their precious Fairy Godmother, fairies and blind old woman, what do they have?"

Maleficent chuckled. "Ahh, yes, nothing at all. I have to say I've hidden them so cleverly that no one should be able to find them."

"Why, YOU'VE hidden them? And since when?" Jafar wondered as he stroked his deceptive scepter.

"Why, Jafar, I thought we had all agreed that it was _I _who thought of kidnapping them and hiding them in the darkest part of the world," Maleficent counteracted with a twinge of annoyance in her voice.

Ratcliffe sat up straighter. "And since when was that YOUR idea?"

Maleficent frowned. "I came up with the entire plan!"

"I can't say you have!" the Evil Queen shook. "I HELPED!"

Bernard and Bianca watched, wide-eyed, as the ten villains starting shouting and scolding each other. They were watching so intently in fact that they didn't notice Basil and Doctor Dawson coming in behind them. Basil caught their attention as he wrapped an arm around both of their shoulders and said brightly, "What did I miss?"

"A lot," Bernard breathed. The three continued to watch, not noticing poor Doctor Dawson fumbling around with his leather bag. He nearly tripped over a fallen book and caused one of the candle to fall onto the floor, crashing into a waxy mess and sending a small stream of smoke into the air.

The villains, of course, noticed the smoke, causing them to stop talking and an eerie silence filled the room.

"What was that?" Ursula wondered.

Bernard gulped and whispered to Bianca, "I think it's time to go." The girl mouse nodded, frozen. Bernard grabbed the shocked Basil and Bianca's hands and rushed them out of the room, nearly knocking over Doctor Dawson. The poor doctor turned once more to catch up with them.

They all rushed into the hall and stopped to catch their breath. Bernard glanced over to Bianca worriedly and said, "Now what?"

Bianca straightened and said firmly, "We're going to the princesses, of course!"

**Again, sorry about the super long waiting period. Actually, Bernard and Bianca are one of my fave couples and I really don't know why. Now, I figure that this story probably shouldn't stay in the Tangled category anymore (I probably should have noticed that a while ago, stupid me), so should I put this in the Disney category? Please review!**


	19. The Arrival of People and News

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own any of the following mentioned movies in this fanfic. I NEED TO SEE TANGLED. SOON. I NEED ONE DIRECTION CONCERT TICKETS, but that is another matter. Here is this chapter for y****'all!**

Somewhere, far, far away from the Snuggly Duckling where most of our valiant heroes and heroines are residing, there was a very unfortunate robot. Rusty, squeaky and on the verge of breaking down, B.E.N. wandered aimlessly through the woods. His rusted hands were scratching at his head and he was muttering to himself, panicking quickly.

"Oh, I never should have left Jimmy and the girls," he said to himself, very worried. He had been wandering around the woods all night. After his breakdown, he had calmed down somewhat and had realized his current situation. He was lost in the woods of a land he had been in for barely two days.

It was the afternoon, he knew, and that was about it.

He looked around frantically, whispering to himself, "Where could they be? Did they go in that direction? Or that direction?"

He was beginning to make himself crazy when suddenly he felt the collar of his body being pulled up. He let out a little shriek as he yelled, "AHHH!" He was turned around to face two very large and grey, burly men. Both were seething and had black mustaches.

"WHO . . . ARE YOU?" B.E.N. wanted to know.

"A robot," said one of the men. "Was he with the other peoples?"

"I think so," said the other grey man.

"What do you think we should do with him?" the other said.

B.E.N. frowned and began to wriggle as the other said, "Let's take him to the castle. Gothel might know what to do with him."

B.E.N.'s ears peaked at the sound of the name Gothel. Gothel . . .

"Oh, whose name is that? UGH, it's on the tip of my tongue . . ." said the robot to himself. He stopped jabbering suddenly when he saw one of the grey men pull back one of their fists.

"Wait, no need for that!" said B.E.N., but they didn't listen, and he let out a scream as he blacked out.

* * *

Gothel was walking quietly through the castle. It was not something that she did often, but now that she had the time, she decided to do so. It was getting too crowded in the parlor, anyway. Maleficent and Shan Yu and Facilier were ordering about the leaders of their soldiers while the other six villains were arguing amongst themselves.

Frankly, it was getting too heated for Gothel, so she headed out. She needed a bit of time to herself. Things were going a bit crazy. Her colleagues' soldiers had not yet found any of the Disney guests that had been invited to Corona, and she was a bit annoyed, to say the least.

She frowned slightly as she stopped walking. She was outside, walking through one of the hallways in the courtyard. How could those idiots not have found anyone yet? It had only been a few hours; it shouldn't be that hard!

She sighed. When things got rough, you just had to do them yourself, especially when they were currently dealing with idiots.

Gothel, of course, was not going out into the woods to search for everyone. No. She needed to think of a place where they all could be hiding. They couldn't all be scattered about; they had to have a sort of hiding place.

She put a finger to her head and sighed. She needed to think. Her eyes fell on the dungeon part of the castle, and her finger lifted. Why, of course. Why didn't she think of it earlier? That's what she needed to do! Rider no doubt knew a place people could hide. He probably had told Rapunzel, and she must have found a spot for them to hide.

Gothel straightened and gathering skirt in her hand, she began to walk over to the prison.

She crossed over quickly and was greeted by two Huns.

She smiled slyly and said, "Hello, boys. The door, if you would."

They both bowed awkwardly and said, "Of course, Dame Gothel." Gothel smiled at them as they opened the door and she walked through the doorway. She hadn't expected Shan Yu's troops to be so polite. They reminded her of animals, to be honest.

She began to walk through the stony building. It felt a bit damp and Gothel kept her skirts up to avoid anything on the floor. A rat raced by her feet; she let out a gasp and then frowned, annoyed.

She began to walk down the halls, passing through the men's section. Of course, the Disney princes WOULD be in the back cells. She got looks and curses from the men on either side of her as she walked. She ignored them and kept walking.

She did walk for a while without getting provoked, but then she suddenly stopped when she heard a familiar voice say, "HULLLOOOOOO, beautiful!"

Gothel turned her head slightly and gasped when she saw the disgusting Cupid man in the cell to her side. He was sitting on a cell bench, which was hung on the wall with chains. His wrists were in chains, and they were attached to the wall as well. He was sitting in a peculiar position. His legs were gripping the bench while the rest of him was hanging upside down.

At seeing her, he smiled a toothy grin and said, "Heyyyyyy . . ."

"Ugh, what a disgusting creature," Gothel said, disgusted. His big, bulbous nose was running and he was wearing his usual: a diaper. Oh dear.

"Hey, doll, you look so pretty . . . ." said the cupid man. He had a crazy look in his ear and was that boogies coming from his nose?

Gothel shuddered and began to hurry away, the voice of the obviously drunken man still calling, "Let's get a drinkkkk together at the Snuggly . . . Duckling."

Gothel suddenly stopped. The voice of the man continued, "All my friends are there . . . and we can _PARTY_!"

The Snuggly Duckling. That little misshapen bar where she had seen Rapunzel dancing with those thugs. She had looked so happy. No doubt she enjoyed herself there. That MUST be it . . .

Gothel quickly turned back and began to rapidly walk back toward the entrance. She had to alert the others. Somehow, she knew that they HAD to be there. There was no other place on her mind.

She commanded the guards to move out of the way as she walked through. She slipped through the doorway and nearly bumped into two Huns, each carrying a robotic arm between them.

"Ugh!" said Gothel in disgust. She looked closer over her curled lip to see that the robotic arms were attached to a little robotic man, who was attached to the arms and was swinging in the free air.

"What is that?" she wanted to know.

"A guest of some sort," said one of the Huns, "we found him in the woods."

"Is he broken?" Gothel asked.

"We knocked him out," said the other Hun.

"Whatever for?" asked Gothel, "now he's of no use to us whatsoever! Ugh, away with him!" She flounced around, her cape flowing about her legs as the Huns nodded and turned to take the robot into the prison.

She huffed and quickly headed toward the entrance to the castle.

She had a bar to be raided.

* * *

"This creates a bit of a problem, doesn't it?" asked Tiana.

Rapunzel nodded blankly. Mama Odie, Fairy Godmother AND the Three Good Fairies, all hidden in the darkest part of the world? Her heart started to speed up and she nervously reached way up and began to twist around some of her brown hair.

"How are we supposed to get them back? There's no way we can defeat the villains without them!" said Cinderella worriedly. Her face had gone whiter than usual and she looked nervous.

Hook Hand sighed and began to fiddle with his hook as he said, "We're not sure."

"We need to rescue them!" said Ariel. "But how? With magic?"

"There has to be some way!" said Bianca from the table. She looked to Bernard as if he had all the answers and asked, "Aren't there other people here who can do magic?"

"Well, I don't know-" stuttered Bernard.

"Isn't there Merlin?" Rapunzel said softly. All eyes looked to her and she waved her hands around, careful of her arm. "Well, did he get rescued?"

"Yes, yes he did," said Hook Hand thoughtfully.

"Where is he?" said Rapunzel.

"Outside, you!" Hook Hand said, pointing to the little furry thing known as Gurgi. "Go fetch Merlin!"

"Oh, oh oh oh oh! Gurgi is so happy to help out his friends! Gurgi go, go, go!" and the little friend jumped and hopped out the door.

"Isn't there also Tinker Bell? Could she be of service?" volunteered Aurora.

"Is she here?" Rapunzel asked Hook Hand. She bit her lip in worry and looked anxious. They HAD to save them. It was her fault, she thought, because it had been her party and her old mother had been leading the villains. Rapunzel never did like seeing people get hurt, and she most definitely did not want anyone she knew to be hurt on her account.

Hook Hand furrowed his brow and said, "I think so. Quick," he pointed to some of the thugs, "go and round up anyone who can do magic! We're going to need a bit to take out the villains and get those ladies back."

Rapunzel smiled and said, "Thank you, Hook Hand," and she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.

Hook Hand grew pink as they watched everyone arrive.

Within minutes, there before them was Merlin, still wearing his blue robes and looking perfectly fine. His wand in his hand and Archimedes on his shoulder, he looked chipper and ready to help. There was Tinker Bell, who was flying up and down, and the Blue Fairy. Mickey was there in his formal clothes, holding his wand, and Tanana too.

All were lined up and ready to help.

"Let's make a plan," said Hook Hand.

* * *

"Partners in crime, I have some wonderful news for you!" said Gothel as she swept into the parlor. All stopped talking and turned to her, Maleficent saying sharply, "What is it now, Gothel?"

"I have just figured out where our little heroes and princesses have been hiding," said Gothel darkly, "gather your troops!"

"Where are they to go?" asked Ursula.

Gothel's lips curled into a cruel smile as she said, "The Snuggly Duckling."

* * *

They all gathered around the table and began to talk. The Blue Fairy and Merlin both knew where the darkest part of the world was. None of them knew how to get there by map, but Merlin knew how to get them there without having to fly or know a map or anything.

"I'm not sure how exactly we DO get there, but we'll get there," said Merlin.

They would be gone for a while, but in the meantime, everyone at the Snuggly Duckling would remain calm and get ready to fight when they returned with the magical ladies.

"Calm?" said Rapunzel in a worried voice, "but shouldn't we at least TRY to get out the prisoners before we attack the castle?"

Everyone looked at everyone else.

"We're going to have to invade the castle to do that, Your Highness," said Hook Hand, "and by doing so, we're alerting everyone and the battle can start out there, right there and then."

Rapunzel grew a bit worried. She didn't want any of the prisoners to be hurt at all, but how could they get them out without anyone being hurt?

* * *

Weapons flew about from hand to hand as the Huns began to file out of the castle toward the woods where the Snuggly Duckling was. Maleficent's minions, all armed with black axes and spears and swords, all sort of ran and waddled as they hurried to the exit as well.

All the villains watched from the balcony as their soldiers hurried to invade the tavern. The shadows were sneaking along the ground as Gothel, at the edge of the balcony, hung slightly over the railing.

"They ought to do their job well, Gothel," Gothel heard, and she turned her head slightly to see Maleficent standing next to her, her creaky hands petting the top of her scepter.

"Don't be too sure, Maleficent," said Gothel as she turned back to the troops, "it took your men, what, sixteen years to find a girl? All while thinking she was a baby for the whole of that time."

"I can do without your sarcasm, Gothel," said Maleficent coolly.

Gothel smirked.

* * *

Rapunzel sat worriedly in the back room of the Snuggly Duckling. Everyone else had filed out, leaving her to muse to herself. She was worried, very much worried that their plan wouldn't work. Even if it did work, people were going to get hurt and there would be more damage done to Corona.

She was worried about everyone. The guests she had invited, the citizens in her kingdom, her father and mother, Eugene. She sighed at his name. How she wished she knew how he was doing. He had disappeared into the castle and she hadn't seen him in several painful hours. She wondered how his injury was and where he was in the castle and what he was doing.

She gulped and felt tears rising. She didn't know what to do, and she simply wanted her husband to be safe.

* * *

The Huns rushed through the woods, taking the beaten road. Maleficent's minions came running after them, shrieking in their squeaky voices. The shadows ran faster and faster, swooping about the woods, which were growing darker.

* * *

Rapunzel eventually came out of the back room to see that everyone was watching the magical persons. The Blue Fairy, Mickey, Merlin, Tanana and Tinker Bell were all lined up in front of the bar.

"We're going to go, now," said the Blue Fairy airily.

"We shouldn't be too long, unless, of course, they're being guarded, but that shouldn't be a problem," said Merlin cheerily. He looked from his right to his left and muttered a few words and suddenly the five of them disappeared with a sprinkling of glittering dust.

"Goodness!" said Snow White.

After a moment, everyone started to mill about again. Rapunzel sighed and looked around for a place to sit.

"Hey, Rapunzel, how are you doing?" Rapunzel looked around and spotted Ariel talking to her.

"Oh, all right, I guess," sighed Rapunzel as she walked over to Ariel, who was rocking back and forth on the rocking chair. "I'm just worried, is all."

"We all are," said Ariel. She smiled a sad sort of smile and said, "Hey, things are going to be better."

"I hope so," said Rapunzel with a slight smile.

Suddenly, a yell rang in from outside, and Rapunzel's slight smile disappeared as she whipped her head around to see everyone crowding at the door. Another scream filled the air as Hook Hand shoved everyone out of the way and standing in the doorway, shouted, "Quick, their minions are here!"

All at once, everyone began to panic. Johnny Appleseed nearly got trampled trying to calm down Nanny and Lady Kluck. Hugo, Laverne and Victor instantly turned to stone. Everyone began to scream and panic.

Rapunzel, mouth open, looked around. Her eyes fell to the bar, where the magical persons had just been. Beyond the bar her eyes flew to the door of the secret passage . . .

Immediately Rapunzel stood up and darted toward the secret door. She was nearly plowed down by panicking people, but was able to get to the bar. She leaped over the top, losing her shoes, and yanked the lever, revealing the opening.

"Hurry, get in!" she shrieked.

**There you go, my patient peoples! I hope you liked it, and please, let me know what you think!**


	20. Hiding Place, Discovered

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own any of the following mentioned movies in this fanfic. I NEED TO SEE TANGLED. SOON. I NEED ONE DIRECTION CONCERT TICKETS, but that is another matter. Here is this chapter for y****'all!**

Somewhere, far, far away from the Snuggly Duckling where most of our valiant heroes and heroines are residing, there was a very unfortunate robot. Rusty, squeaky and on the verge of breaking down, B.E.N. wandered aimlessly through the woods. His rusted hands were scratching at his head and he was muttering to himself, panicking quickly.

"Oh, I never should have left Jimmy and the girls," he said to himself, very worried. He had been wandering around the woods all night. After his breakdown, he had calmed down somewhat and had realized his current situation. He was lost in the woods of a land he had been in for barely two days.

It was the afternoon, he knew, and that was about it.

He looked around frantically, whispering to himself, "Where could they be? Did they go in that direction? Or that direction?"

He was beginning to make himself crazy when suddenly he felt the collar of his body being pulled up. He let out a little shriek as he yelled, "AHHH!" He was turned around to face two very large and grey, burly men. Both were seething and had black mustaches.

"WHO . . . ARE YOU?" B.E.N. wanted to know.

"A robot," said one of the men. "Was he with the other peoples?"

"I think so," said the other grey man.

"What do you think we should do with him?" the other said.

B.E.N. frowned and began to wriggle as the other said, "Let's take him to the castle. Gothel might know what to do with him."

B.E.N.'s ears peaked at the sound of the name Gothel. Gothel . . .

"Oh, whose name is that? UGH, it's on the tip of my tongue . . ." said the robot to himself. He stopped jabbering suddenly when he saw one of the grey men pull back one of their fists.

"Wait, no need for that!" said B.E.N., but they didn't listen, and he let out a scream as he blacked out.

* * *

Gothel was walking quietly through the castle. It was not something that she did often, but now that she had the time, she decided to do so. It was getting too crowded in the parlor, anyway. Maleficent and Shan Yu and Facilier were ordering about the leaders of their soldiers while the other six villains were arguing amongst themselves.

Frankly, it was getting too heated for Gothel, so she headed out. She needed a bit of time to herself. Things were going a bit crazy. Her colleagues' soldiers had not yet found any of the Disney guests that had been invited to Corona, and she was a bit annoyed, to say the least.

She frowned slightly as she stopped walking. She was outside, walking through one of the hallways in the courtyard. How could those idiots not have found anyone yet? It had only been a few hours; it shouldn't be that hard!

She sighed. When things got rough, you just had to do them yourself, especially when they were currently dealing with idiots.

Gothel, of course, was not going out into the woods to search for everyone. No. She needed to think of a place where they all could be hiding. They couldn't all be scattered about; they had to have a sort of hiding place.

She put a finger to her head and sighed. She needed to think. Her eyes fell on the dungeon part of the castle, and her finger lifted. Why, of course. Why didn't she think of it earlier? That's what she needed to do! Rider no doubt knew a place people could hide. He probably had told Rapunzel, and she must have found a spot for them to hide.

Gothel straightened and gathering skirt in her hand, she began to walk over to the prison.

She crossed over quickly and was greeted by two Huns.

She smiled slyly and said, "Hello, boys. The door, if you would."

They both bowed awkwardly and said, "Of course, Dame Gothel." Gothel smiled at them as they opened the door and she walked through the doorway. She hadn't expected Shan Yu's troops to be so polite. They reminded her of animals, to be honest.

She began to walk through the stony building. It felt a bit damp and Gothel kept her skirts up to avoid anything on the floor. A rat raced by her feet; she let out a gasp and then frowned, annoyed.

She began to walk down the halls, passing through the men's section. Of course, the Disney princes WOULD be in the back cells. She got looks and curses from the men on either side of her as she walked. She ignored them and kept walking.

She did walk for a while without getting provoked, but then she suddenly stopped when she heard a familiar voice say, "HULLLOOOOOO, beautiful!"

Gothel turned her head slightly and gasped when she saw the disgusting Cupid man in the cell to her side. He was sitting on a cell bench, which was hung on the wall with chains. His wrists were in chains, and they were attached to the wall as well. He was sitting in a peculiar position. His legs were gripping the bench while the rest of him was hanging upside down.

At seeing her, he smiled a toothy grin and said, "Heyyyyyy . . ."

"Ugh, what a disgusting creature," Gothel said, disgusted. His big, bulbous nose was running and he was wearing his usual: a diaper. Oh dear.

"Hey, doll, you look so pretty . . . ." said the cupid man. He had a crazy look in his ear and was that buggies coming from his nose?

Gothel shuddered and began to hurry away, the voice of the obviously drunken man still calling, "Let's get a drinkkkk together at the Snuggly . . . Duckling."

Gothel suddenly stopped. The voice of the man continued, "All my friends are there . . . and we can _PARTY_!"

The Snuggly Duckling. That little misshapen bar where she had seen Rapunzel dancing with those thugs. She had looked so happy. No doubt she enjoyed herself there. That MUST be it . . .

Gothel quickly turned back and began to rapidly walk back toward the entrance. She had to alert the others. Somehow, she knew that they HAD to be there. There was no other place on her mind.

She commanded the guards to move out of the way as she walked through. She slipped through the doorway and nearly bumped into two Huns, each carrying a robotic arm between them.

"Ugh!" said Gothel in disgust. She looked closer over her curled lip to see that the robotic arms were attached to a little robotic man, who was attached to the arms and was swinging in the free air.

"What is that?" she wanted to know.

"A guest of some sort," said one of the Huns, "we found him in the woods."

"Is he broken?" Gothel asked.

"We knocked him out," said the other Hun.

"Whatever for?" asked Gothel, "now he's of no use to us whatsoever! Ugh, away with him!" She flounced around, her cape flowing about her legs as the Huns nodded and turned to take the robot into the prison.

She huffed and quickly headed toward the entrance to the castle.

She had a bar to be raided.

* * *

"This creates a bit of a problem, doesn't it?" asked Tiana.

Rapunzel nodded blankly. Mama Odie, Fairy Godmother AND the Three Good Fairies, all hidden in the darkest part of the world? Her heart started to speed up and she nervously reached way up and began to twist around some of her brown hair.

"How are we supposed to get them back? There's no way we can defeat the villains without them!" said Cinderella worriedly. Her face had gone whiter than usual and she looked nervous.

Hook Hand sighed and began to fiddle with his hook as he said, "We're not sure."

"We need to rescue them!" said Ariel. "But how? With magic?"

"There has to be some way!" said Bianca from the table. She looked to Bernard as if he had all the answers and asked, "Aren't there other people here who can do magic?"

"Well, I don't know -" stuttered Bernard.

"Isn't there Merlin?" Rapunzel said softly. All eyes looked to her and she waved her hands around, careful of her arm. "Well, did he get rescued?"

"Yes, yes he did," said Hook Hand thoughtfully.

"Where is he?" said Rapunzel.

"Outside, you!" Hook Hand said, pointing to the little furry thing known as Gurgi. "Go fetch Merlin!"

"Oh, oh oh oh oh! Gurgi is so happy to help out his friends! Gurgi go, go, go!" and the little friend jumped and hopped out the door.

"Isn't there also Tinker Bell? Could she be of service?" volunteered Aurora.

"Is she here?" Rapunzel asked Hook Hand. She bit her lip in worry and looked anxious. They HAD to save them. It was her fault, she thought, because it had been her party and her old mother had been leading the villains. Rapunzel never did like seeing people get hurt, and she most definitely did not want anyone she knew to be hurt on her account.

Hook Hand furrowed his brow and said, "I think so. Quick," he pointed to some of the thugs, "go and round up anyone who can do magic! We're going to need a bit to take out the villains and get those ladies back."

Rapunzel smiled and said, "Thank you, Hook Hand," and she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.

Hook Hand grew pink as they watched everyone arrive.

Within minutes, there before them was Merlin, still wearing his blue robes and looking perfectly fine. His wand in his hand and Archimedes on his shoulder, he looked chipper and ready to help. There was Tinker Bell, who was flying up and down, and the Blue Fairy. Mickey was there in his formal clothes, holding his wand, and Tanana too.

All were lined up and ready to help.

"Let's make a plan," said Hook Hand.

* * *

"Partners in crime, I have some wonderful news for you!" said Gothel as she swept into the parlor. All stopped talking and turned to her, Maleficent saying sharply, "What is it now, Gothel?"

"I have just figured out where our little heroes and princesses have been hiding," said Gothel darkly, "gather your troops!"

"Where are they to go?" asked Ursula.

Gothel's lips curled into a cruel smile as she said, "The Snuggly Duckling."

* * *

They all gathered around the table and began to talk. The Blue Fairy and Merlin both knew where the darkest part of the world was. None of them knew how to get there by map, but Merlin knew how to get them there without having to fly or know a map or anything.

"I'm not sure how exactly we DO get there, but we'll get there," said Merlin.

They would be gone for a while, but in the meantime, everyone at the Snuggly Duckling would remain calm and get ready to fight when they returned with the magical ladies.

"Calm?" said Rapunzel in a worried voice, "but shouldn't we at least TRY to get out the prisoners before we attack the castle?"

Everyone looked at everyone else.

"We're going to have to invade the castle to do that, Your Highness," said Hook Hand, "and by doing so, we're alerting everyone and the battle can start out there, right there and then."

Rapunzel grew a bit worried. She didn't want any of the prisoners to be hurt at all, but how could they get them out without anyone being hurt?

* * *

Weapons flew about from hand to hand as the Huns began to file out of the castle toward the woods where the Snuggly Duckling was. Maleficent's minions, all armed with black axes and spears and swords, all sort of ran and waddled as they hurried to the exit as well.

All the villains watched from the balcony as their soldiers hurried to invade the tavern. The shadows were sleeking along the ground as Gothel, at the edge of the balcony, hung slightly over the railing.

"They ought to do their job well, Gothel," Gothel heard, and she turned her head slightly to see Maleficent standing next to her, her creaky hands petting the top of her scepter.

"Don't be too sure, Maleficent," said Gothel as she turned back to the troops, "it took your men, what, sixteen years to find a girl? All while thinking she was a baby for the whole of that time."

"I can do without your sarcasm, Gothel," said Maleficent coolly.

Gothel smirked.

* * *

Rapunzel sat worriedly in the back room of the Snuggly Duckling. Everyone else had filed out, leaving her to muse to herself. She was worried, very much worried that their plan wouldn't work. Even if it did work, people were going to get hurt and there would be more damage done to Corona.

She was worried about everyone. The guests she had invited, the citizens in her kingdom, her father and mother, Eugene. She sighed at his name. How she wished she knew how he was doing. He had disappeared into the castle and she hadn't seen him in several painful hours. She wondered how his injury was and where he was in the castle and what he was doing.

She gulped and felt tears rising. She didn't know what to do, and she simply wanted her husband to be safe.

* * *

The Huns rushed through the woods, taking the beaten road. Maleficent's minions came running after them, shrieking in their squeaky voices. The shadows ran faster and faster, swooping about the woods, which were growing darker.

* * *

Rapunzel eventually came out of the back room to see that everyone was watching the magical persons. The Blue Fairy, Mickey, Merlin, Tanana and Tinker Bell were all lined up in front of the bar.

"We're going to go, now," said the Blue Fairy airily.

"We shouldn't be too long, unless, of course, they're being guarded, but that shouldn't be a problem," said Merlin cheerily. He looked from his right to his left and muttered a few words and suddenly the five of them disappeared with a sprinkling of glittering dust.

"Goodness!" said Snow White.

After a moment, everyone started to mill about again. Rapunzel sighed and looked around for a place to sit.

"Hey, Rapunzel, how are you doing?" Rapunzel looked around and spotted Ariel talking to her.

"Oh, alright, I guess," sighed Rapunzel as she walked over to Ariel, who was rocking back and forth on the rocking chair. "I'm just worried, is all."

"We all are," said Ariel. She smiled a sad sort of smile and said, "Hey, things are going to be better."

"I hope so," said Rapunzel with a slight smile.

Suddenly, a yell rang in from outside, and Rapunzel's slight smile disappeared as she whipped her head around to see everyone crowding at the door. Another scream filled the air as Hook Hand shoved everyone out of the way and standing in the doorway, shouted, "Quick, their minions are here!"

All at once, everyone began to panic. Johnny Appleseed nearly got trampled trying to calm down Nanny and Lady Kluck. Hugo, Laverne and Victor instantly turned to stone. Everyone began to scream and panic.

Rapunzel, mouth open, looked around. Her eyes fell to the bar, where the magical persons had just been. Beyond the bar her eyes flew to the door of the secret passage . . .

Immediately Rapunzel stood up and darted toward the secret door. She was nearly plowed down by panicking people, but was able to get to the bar. She leaped over the top, losing her shoes, and yanked the lever, revealing the opening.

"Hurry, get in!" she shrieked.

**There you go, my patient peoples! I hope you liked it, and please, let me know what you think!**


	21. Attacking the Snuggly Duckling

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Tangled or any of the mentioned movies in this fic. Thankies for waiting so long, lovely readers! Allons-y!  
**

Rapunzel waved her hand about frantically, hurriedly (and gently) pushing people down into the secret hideout. Gothel knew about it, Rapunzel knew, but hopefully the shadows, Huns and goons didn't know about it.

Weapons that were used to decorate the Snuggling Duckling were flung down by men and the Pub Thugs eagerly grabbed their weapons and hurried against the villains, roaring eagerly as they shielded the other refugees. Children and women and animals all hurried to the secret tunnel as the minions clashed against the weapons of the Pub Thugs.

The air was filled with yelling and when Rapunzel looked up, she could see people fighting beyond the front door. She gasped and looked down to the tunnel and hoped with all of her heart that there would be no bloodshed on the ground of the Snuggly Duckling.

"Rapunzel!" Rapunzel heard, and she quickly looked to see that Tiana was next to her. Charlotte and Eudora were both already hurrying down the tunnel, Charlotte saying, "Oh my goodness! Those _sc-ary _people!"

"I'm not sure they're people, Charlotte," Eudora said as they disappeared.

"Rapunzel, we have to go down, now!" Tiana said. Rapunzel looked back before her to see a crash and she turned back to Tiana, saying, "We can't leave them!" There was too many people already on this floor and upstairs. Rapunzel knew that the goons were heading upstairs. How many of them were going to escape?

"There's nothing more we can do, Rapunzel. We have to get going now," Tiana said.

Rapunzel looked at her, and she felt as if she couldn't move. She knew she had to move, or else the shadows and goons and Huns would capture her and take her to the castle. She knew she had to move, but it was if her muscles were not moving. She had no control on them.

Tiana said something, but she couldn't understand what she was saying. Pascal scurried up her arm and started to squeak hurriedly, pushing her hand, pinching her to make her move. She whispered, "I can't move, Pascal."

"All right, c'mon. Let's get moving, princess," Meg said, and Rapunzel looked up to see her as she reached down and grabbed her non-hurt arm and pulled her down into the tunnel, saying, "might as well get moving, heh?"

The tunnel was dark, and since Rapunzel had only gone down the tunnel by crawling down until it became tall enough to walk through, she was stooping in the dark as Meg pulled her through.

Pascal let out a squeal in the dark as the sounds of fighting faded back and all Rapunzel could hear was the sounds of frightened Disney guests. Everyone had been in this sort of dangerous situation before (they had all not been in this sort of situation that was identical to this one, of course, but they were all equally terrifying) and all were scared and wondering how they were going to get out of this one.

"What do we do now?" Ariel said loudly.

"We need a light, or somethin'," Tiana said. "Does anybody have a light?"

Rapunzel gulped and looked about until she spotted something in the corner. It was a golden sort of light, and it was coming from a golden looking object.

"The Golden Harp," someone said, and Rapunzel hurried to it and grabbed it and held it up. Holding it steady with one hand, Tiana and Cinderella came to help her hold up. Rapunzel let out an exhausted breath and said, "Can anyone light a fire?"

Someone had a pipe, and the coals were coaxed and torches were made and set about. Everyone looked back to the entrance to the tunnel, and Rapunzel gulped as she said, "Someone did close the door, right?"

"Yeah, I closed it," said Mole excitedly before he resumed in his digging.

"What do we do now?" Ariel wanted to know.

Rapunzel sighed and said, "Well, I have an idea. We-we could see who's here and who's up there, and there's actually an exit from here." She pointed to the opposite side of the tunnel. In the torchlight, all they could see was dark, narrow corners and curves.

"Let's do that, then," Welhelmina said, puffing on her pipe so Franny could light her torch.

"There's a sort of a problem, though," Rapunzel said, looking about the crowded tunnel. Pascal looked at her worriedly as she said, "At the end is a lake. A big lake. A really, really big, unacrossable lake." She sighed and said, "Maximus created it." He created it because he was chasing her and Eugene and Pascal. Eugene was with her because she wanted him to take her to the floating lights. She gulped. Technically, she was the one who created the lake.

She was the one who trapped them.

* * *

The Huns were somehow fought back by the Pub Thugs and various Disney people. Mulan handled herself quite well with a frying pan, knocking out several goons from going upstairs.

"Wow. I have GOT to get me one of these! Do you think a wok could work?" she said to herself before she took the band from her hair and used it to slide down one of the ropes that was criss-crossed across the ceiling of the Snuggling Duckling. That kid with the instrument was playing his accordion in the background, and somehow Mulan thought that someone should be singing some sort of war song.

She flew down and knocked out a Hun. She backed up against Hook Hand, who was using fire to take out shadows, making them gasp and hurry out of the way.

"What did you think they're going to stop trying?" Mulan asked him as she knocked out another Hun with a swift blow from her frying pan.

"Whenever we beat them. Hopefully, SOON!" Hook Hand said as he hit another shadow.

"Shall we defeat them all, then?" Mulan asked him.

"Yeah. Run them out!" said Hook Hand.

Mulan nodded and the two separated as they went to opposite sides of the Duckling. Mulan swished about with her frying pan. Several men sent many a goon loopy from the top of the bar with their frying pans.

The goons were busy stealing the wagons outside, and Kronk was busy stopping from them from moving any farther. He talked to Bucky, who turned and called for all of the squirrels of the forest of Corona to come and help.

Finally, nearly an hour later, the goons and shadows and Huns retreated, but not before knocking out several Disney people and setting several small fires to the Snuggly Duckling.

Panting, Mulan walked over the knocked out, unconscious bodies of Disney people, moving to the center, where the Pub Thugs were gathered. The place was smoking, and she was coughing and not even sure who was who and how many Huns and goons were knocked out on the floor.

She looked around, dismayed, as she coughed. The cooking station was ruined and several stairs were knocked out. Waldo the goat was waddling around crazily and the chandelier was swinging dangerously. Piano keys littered the floor and so did the ruins of a broken piano chair.

"All right, we need to fall back and regroup. Here's what we do. Hands in the center!" Hook Hand said. Atilla and Big Nose and Vladimir and Fang and Tor were first and everyone standing put one of their hands in the center. Mulan looked curious as Hook Hand said, "Some of us are going down the secret tunnel. Vladimir, you're leader."

"All right," Vladimir said.

"We're going to have to fix up the Duckling. Once the villains' stupid goons wake up, we're going to interrogate them. Kronk, I want you to hurry with setting up tents. We're going to have to get these people taken care of. Got it?"

"Got it!" the Pub Thugs said.

"All right, then," said Mulan, who was used to working with guys.

Hook Hand nodded and they scattered. Vladimir beckoned for Mulan to follow him and they hurried to the secret tunnel.

* * *

"After you, Gothel," Maleficent said coolly. She and Gothel were at the entrance to the prison, where Gothel was going to go happily gloat in front of their prisoned princes in telling them that the Snuggly Duckling, where their wives were, was going to be attacked. It probably had been attacked, and the two evil ladies were waiting for news of the captured princesses. Until then, they were going to go do evil things like talking in front of their enemies.

"Oh, thank you, Maleficent," Gothel said just as coolly as she passed the huns and went first into the prison. Maleficent smiled and said to the guards, "Keep an eye out. There may be some rioting prisoners after this."

The Huns nodded in response and Maleficent nearly floated on the dirty floors as she joined Gothel. She waved her hand near her mouth and said, "What a ghastly stink."

"It's rather horrible, I KNOW," Gothel said, having already picked up her skirts. They hurried their way through the halls and past the cells, and ignored the sounds of people as they made their way to the back. Torches were on the pillars and things were getting a bit dark as they finally came around to where they wanted to be.

"Ahh, here we are, Maleficent," Gothel said.

"How are our dear princes?" Maleficent asked.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" Gothel said, and as they came closer, they could make out the fancily dressed Disney princes. They were leaning against their cell bars, but they were all still there. Phillip was looking out the window in his cell, his hands still in chains. He turned when he heard Maleficent clear her throat.

"Villains," Naveen muttered as he leaned against the wall to stand up.

"Hello, boys," Maleficent said coolly as she and Gothel came to the front of the cells. "How are we adapting to our new living conditions?"

"A bit drafty, tell you the truth," Naveen said sarcastically, looking annoyed.

"Really? I'm terribly sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do to make your space comfortable. However, this is something else we want to let you know to make you feel better," Maleficent said.

The other princes were all standing up now, except for Eugene, who was slumped against the wall on the floor. His shoulder still caused a great burning sensation in his arm and he didn't have the strength to stand up. He would never want to hurt himself more by standing up to look at two vile women anyway.

"We just thought that we should let you know that someone is going to visit your wives and guests in the Snuggly Duckling," Gothel said, and the eleven men looked horrified as it dawned on them. They were all at some place called the Snuggly Duckling and the villains were sending goons and minions after them.

"Why you little-" Adam said angrily, but Maleficent said, "Ahhh, ahh, ahh, wouldn't do that if I were you. Best not to threaten the person with the upper hand here, _beast_."

Gothel smirked and said, "Well, we'll leave you here to dwell on that. Goodbye," and she and Maleficent hurried away, chuckling together under their breath.

The princes watched them leave before Adam punched the wall and Naveen cursed under his breath in Maldonian.

Phillip gulped and looking back toward the window, said, "They're going to capture the girls."

John Smith looked about the cell and said, "Now, how can we get out of here? You, Aladdin."

"Yeah?" asked Aladdin.

"You've escaped prisons before, yes?"

"Yeah."

"Can you figure out this one?"

"I don't know."

"What about you, Eugene?" John Smith said, looking down at Eugene, who was concentrating on the stone wall. "Have you any ideas?"

Eugene stared long and hard at the wall, his mind reeling. He was trying not to focus on the fact that his arm was hurting like hell and his wife could be getting captured this minute. There was nothing he could think of more, though, than of Rapunzel's sweet face and lovely personality that changed him, that he loved. He closed his eyes and said, "I have nothing."

* * *

Rapunzel paced all about the tunnel, whispering to herself under her breath. She was panicking, oh, she was very much panicking. How could this have happened? Her stomach started to hurt her as she paced.

She stopped and looked to the secret tunnel entrance when she could hear running footsteps. Vladimir and Mulan and several other Pub Thugs appeared and Rapunzel ran to them, Pascal at her heels.

"Where are they?" she asked them.

"Where are who?" asked Vladimir.

"Pocahontas, Aurora, Jasmine and Snow White," Rapunzel said quickly. "Where are they? They're not down here!"

**Oh, well. Thankies for reading!**


	22. Unite SOME of the OTP Couples!

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Tangled or any of the mentioned movies in this fic. Hello lovely peoples! Thank you for the reviews, honestly, y'all are BRILLIANT.**

Mulan, shocked, looked at Rapunzel, who had tears in her eyes, looking absolutely petrified. A silence quickly fell over the entire tunnel, looming with the knowledge that several of the wanted princesses were missing. That could only mean one thing. Unless the princesses had somehow escaped the Snuggly Duckling without getting caught, they were in the hands of the villains' minions. Which could only mean one thing.

"The villains have them?" Mulan said.

Rapunzel could only tear up more and play with her hair, looking at the ground.

"What are we going to do?" asked Pinocchio innocently. Gepetto was sitting with him against a barrel with their cat, Figaro, and their goldfish, Cleo, whose water was spilling over her bowl in the excitement.

"We need to save them!" Hook Hand said fiercely, waving his hook hand, meaning urgency. He whacked his open palm with his hook then, and said, "We need a plan!"

"We need to get above ground," Mulan said. Looking over the scared people, she said, "We were able to fight them back. They retreated."

"Yes," Cinderella said, looking around at the scared and shirking Disney people and creatures. "We MUST get up and back. Everyone, head upstairs." She looked to Mulan and said, "It's getting awfully late."

Mulan nodded and looking around, caught sight of Rabbit, and she called out, "Hey, Rabbit?"

Rabbit turned around, brushing himself off. "What is it?"

"Can you check on the mice?"

"Yes, of course."

"All right. I suggest we get moving, then."

People started to move, cats and dogs and animals making their noises. Rapunzel watched them, sniffling, and Pascal came up onto her shoulder, looking at her with a very concerned looking face. Rapunzel hiccuped and looked to Hook Hand. He was ordering quickly, making sure that people were moving. Kronk was calling for people to move all in a kind, relaxed tone of voice, promising spinach puffs if he had time.

"Hook Hand?" Rapunzel asked quietly.

Hook Hand instantly turned to her. "Your Highness?"

"How are we going to get them all back?"

Hook Hand gulped, looking at her miserable face for a moment before he said, "We're going to have to attack the castle."

Rapunzel sniffed again. While unnecessary violence was something she liked, she knew that desperate times took desperate measures. She wiped her nose and said with a tiny, shaky laugh, "And act like ruffians and thugs?"

"Yeah," Hook Hand said. Rapunzel sighed, making him say, "Don't worry, Your Highness. We'll get the princesses AND the princes back."

Rapunzel nodded, folding her arms over her chest. "I hope so." She turned back to the entrance, where everyone was heading up to the Snuggly Duckling. She hoped that it was still intact. It was hard to tell. She had been to the Snuggly Duckling on occasion when there was bar fights and sing offs. Things could get quite dirty in all of the rowdiness. She could only imagine what it would look like after a battle.

Walking up to the trapdoor, she couldn't help but sigh to herself. Several of the princesses were captured, she didn't even know if her parents were alive (she certainly hoped that they were. Gothel probably had them locked away somewhere. Rapunzel shuddered), and Eugene was still in the villains's keep. She had already lost him once. She just didn't think that she could take it if Gothel took him away from her again.

At least there was the hope of spinach puffs later.

* * *

Snow White let out a cough as a Hun dragged her along. The harsh woods were being rather dreadful, and she hated scary woods. It was fast approaching dark, and looking around, scared, she could see that it would be hard for a search party to find them in the dark.

She could hear a groan, and she looked to see two of Maleficent's minions dragging Jasmine between them. She was grunting, and pulling at their hold.

"Oh, do be careful!" Snow White said. The minions turned to look at her, still walking, and she added, "Please!"

The minions looked at each other and said in their piggish, gargly voices, "All right," and dropped her hands, making Jasmine rub her wrists, gasping. Their hold on the weapons in their other hands tightened, though, and they pointed them at her back.

"Gothel and the others should be happy to hear the news of your capture," some of the minions said.

"They certainly will be," Aurora said from next to them, two Huns acting as her guards.

"Keep moving!" the Huns said, and Aurora kept her mouth closed as they pushed her to go ahead. She fell into step with Pocahontas, who had shadows sleeking about the area ahead of her, ready to catch her if she dared to escape.

"What do you think they're going to do to us?" asked Aurora worriedly.

Pocahontas didn't meet her eyes, but said quietly to let her know she was listening, "I don't know. They'll probably take us to the villains."

"Do you think that we'll get to see the princes?" asked Aurora as she stumbled.

Pocahontas looked ahead where they could see a bright white bridge ahead of them. She shook her head and said, "We'll know soon enough."

They crossed over the cool bridge. Pocahontas looked to see several stars in the darkened sky. She gulped when she saw one fly across the sky and looked on ahead. Entering the burnt town, she could see several Huns and shadows and minions ordering around the citizens to clean up the town. Passing through, the prisoners received quite a few looks from the tired, weary and hunched peasants. The look of them, guests at the Royal Celebration, captured by the villains must had made them realize that this was even worst than they had thought.

They were quickly pushed to the castle, where the entrance looked far from welcoming. Passing by the entrance with Hun guards and shadows making the night darker, there was a group of minions poking and holding in Dumbo and his mother, Mrs. Jumbo. There was several other female elephants, and they were all trying to get away. Pocahontas could only shake and bow her head in despair. It hurt her something awful to see animals treated horribly.

They were hurried through the castle, which was damaged terribly. There was prisoners, all still dressed in their outfits from the ball, cleaning up. They all looked to them, the little children and the old people all looking especially despondent. Eilonwy and Taran both stopped in their work and had their lips in fine lines as they watched the princesses pass through the wreckage to a parlor.

Entering the dark room, Aurora was forced through first, followed by Pocahontas, then Snow White, who was saying something along the lines of, "Oh, please, be careful!" Jasmine was forced through last, catching her stumbled balance as she looked around the room.

It was very dark. Shadows danced on the walls, and not even the Shadowman's minions. They were the shadows coming off of the fire that was crackling in a fireplace. It filled the room a delightful sound, and was the only sound in the room except for the fast breathing. Around the fire was several tall, large sofa chairs, and the princesses couldn't tell who was in each one. The whole thing sent shivers up their spines.

One of the Huns spoke up, "Gothel? Maleficent?"

Out of one of the sofa chairs a graceful hand waved about. "What is it?"

"We have brought back some of the princesses."

The person seemed intrigued. "Bring them so we can see them."

The princess let out gasps as the weapons at their backs forced them forward to the front of the fire. The fire warmed their backs, but they were already warm with anger at seeing who was in the chairs. Jasmine looked as angry as she could be looking at the villains all lounging in their chairs. Ursula was smiling a creepy smile, her tentacles moving about despite her sitting down.

"Hello, girls," she said.

They said nothing in reply.

"Are these the only princesses?" Maleficent asked, waving a green hand about, indicating the princesses.

"Yes, Maleficent."

"Only four, then?" asked Shan Yu, his fingertips all tapping against each other.

"That's better than none, nevertheless," Gothel said.

Jasmine straightened and looked to Aurora, who looked worried, as Jafar said lazily, looking over to the other villains, "What EVER shall we do with them, then?"

"We should get the other princesses. In the meantime, we should lock them up," Governor Ratcliffe said with an injured sniff.

"With the other princes? Give them a . . . . morale boost?" Dr. Facilier asked, looking around for a general opinion.

"I suppose," said Lady Tremaine, looking them over with a cool expression.

"Yes. Take them away!" Gaston said, waving a hand. His legs were on the armrest of his chair, and he was smoking a pipe.

"We'll figure out what to do with them later," Maleficent said coolly as the girls were forced to the door. "Goodbye, dears."

The princesses were hurried into the hallway, where they almost tripped when the poles of the spears in their backs nearly pushed them over. They dusted themselves off, Snow White saying, "You know what this means?"

"What?" Aurora asked.

"We get to see the princes, and tell them what's been happening!" Snow White whispered quickly.

"Get moving!" some minions said, and Snow White patiently closed her mouth and they were taken to the prison, where after they passed through the dark entrance, through the stone halls, past the other prisoners who were all looking quite glum, they were taken to the princes' cells.

Phillip noticed them first, and he instantly turned to the other princes, who were all still trying to figure out a way to escape (they were able to break into a room full of girls. Getting themselves out of a prison shouldn't be so hard).

"Hey," he said. Naveen turned his head, saying, "What?" Eric looked up, as did Aladdin (who had been banging his head against he wall repeatedly), Adam and John Smith.

"I can see some of the princesses," and nine of the princes and John Rolfe instantly sat up and looked attentive. Eugene turned his head as best as he could, though he couldn't even try to sit up straight with his shoulder. He felt a bit hopeful that he'd see Rapunzel, but he also didn't want to see her, captured and surrounded by guards, dirty and broken looking but still cheerful. Seeing her like that would break his heart.

The guards came up to the two cells, and though Jasmine, Aurora and Snow White wanted to scream from excitement at seeing Aladdin, Phillip and Ferdinand well, they kept silent but met their husbands' eyes as a Hun stepped forward and took out a key. He unlocked the two doors, and Aurora and Jasmine flew into their cell, falling into Aladdin and Phillip's arms. Snow White fell into Ferdinand's arms, but Pocahontas looked confused as she looked between the two cells. In one was John Smith. In the other, John Rolfe.

"Get in," one of the Huns said, and he pushed her into the one with John Smith in it. He quickly hurried to her as she straightened from her stumble, asking her, "Are you all right?"

"I don't know," Pocahontas said, looking into his eyes. He stared back at her, and she turned away to look at the wall that was separating her from John Rolfe.

Eugene looked away and leaned against the wall once more as Aladdin finally stopped hugging Jasmine and asked her, "Are you all right?"

"I'm all right. Just been missing you," and it almost sounded like Jasmine was joking as usual.

Naveen looked to Pocahontas and said, "What's the news, then? What's been happening at this _Snuggly_ Duckling?"

"There was a battle there. There was minions and Huns and-"

"Did anyone-"

"Who escaped?" asked James from the next cell over.

"Everyone, except us," Pocahontas said quietly, avoiding John Smith's protective look.

Eugene looked up from his spot and looking to Pocahontas, who caught his eye, asked, "Is Rapunzel all right?"

"She was when I last saw her."

Eugene nodded, almost to reassure himself, and he turned back to face the wall as Pocahontas began to relay what had happened, Jasmine and Aurora watching as well from their husbands' arms. Eugene barely paid attention, for his shoulder was hurting him too much to keep his head turned, and looking at the wall, the voices asking questions and answering questions mixed together into an unfathomable mess. There was only one thing on his mind, and that Rapunzel was all right. At least, for a moment.

He hoped nobody saw his eyes fill with tears at the thought.

* * *

Rabbit, listening to orders, hurried through the darkness, past the small fires that had been started by Huns, and over to where there was some logs, one of which he knew contained the mice.

"Hello? Mice? Where are you? Oh, you've got to be here somewhere," Rabbit muttered under his breath, bending to look into each hollow log. He was finally met with Bianca leaning against the log, taking a breath while behind her mice were running all about in confusion.

"Rabbit? Is that you?" Bianca asked.

"Yes, yes, who am I speaking to?"

"It's Bianca. What's happening? Have they all really left?"

"Yes, and with some of the princesses too!"

Bianca paled, if she could. "Oh, dear! What are we going to do now?"

Rabbit shook his head. "I'm not sure, but I believe that there's going to be plans for attacking the castle."

A paw flew to Bianca's mouth. "Goodness! Well . . . tell the other princesses that we're doing well enough, and we're more than happy to help whenever we can!"

"Of course, of course," Rabbit said, and he hurried away.

Bianca sighed and turned back to the inside of the log. Dawson was busy setting up small torches, and she saw Bernard quickly walking toward her.

"Bianca, what happened?" he asked, putting his paws on her shoulders.

"Some of the princesses are missing, and we-we're bound to go off into war."

Bernard shook his head. "This is not good."

"But what can we do?" Bianca sighed.

* * *

Rapunzel, mitts on her hands, was helping Kronk pull out tray after tray of spinach puffs. Fortunately, since Cook knew that spinach had to be eaten (it being a vegetable and a major food group), he had a large supply in the cellar. Knowing that just because he bought it didn't mean that the Pub Thugs had to eat it, they never ate it. Now it was being put to full use to feed the hungry crowd that was wearily picking the Snuggly Duckling back up.

Rapunzel set down a tray at the bar and wiped some hair that was falling in front of her eyes. She spied Pascal eying one of the puff hungrily, and she shook her head, telling him he'd have to wait, making him stick out his tongue in protest. He then put on a pleading face, and she finally nodded. He nodded and quick as a wink, snagged a puff. It was burning hot, and he turned red as he gripped his neck and coughed.

Rapunzel looked up with a little sigh, looking around the bar. Everyone was tired, and everyone was, in at least one way, hurting.

Turning back to the bar, she sniffed, and she saw Hook Hand coming behind the bar. She hurried over to him. He noticed her and bowing, said, "Your Highness."

"Hook Hand," she said with a nod. She hesitated for a moment before she said, "When are we going to tr - get them back?"

"In a couple of days. Maybe tomorrow."

In a couple of days. Maybe tomorrow. Things happened so quickly with her, didn't they?

**YAY PRINCESSES ARE UNITED WITH PRINCES WELL, SOME, ANYWAY. I hope you liked it, and THANK YOU for reading, seriously, it warms the cockles of my heart when you do that. :)**


	23. It's Spelled Just Like the Word Escape

**Thank you, God, for everything. **

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Tangled or any of the mentioned movies in this fanfiction. **

**RECAP: The 10 Disney Princess villains have managed to come back and have taken over the kingdom of Corona with use of their minions, shadows and Huns. All the Disney Princes are imprisoned with Pocahontas, Aurora, Jasmine and Snow White in Corona's castle dungeons. There are several Disney characters imprisoned while the rest are at the Snuggly Duckling, where the mice are spies and everyone is starting to think of attacking the castle. The Blue Fairy, Mickey, Merlin, Tanana and Tinker Bell are gone, fetching the Fairy Godmother, The Three Good Fairies and Mama Odie, who have been kidnapped and hidden in the darkest part of the world. That's all, I think. :) God bless you!  
**

Hook Hand walked out of doors. Inside it was busy, stifling and smelling like spinach puffs, which he didn't think smelled very good. Behind him were the remaining Disney Princesses, except for Ariel, who was sitting in a rocking chair and trying to catch her breath after what had all gone down in the past couple of hours. They walked across the cool grass to where the log where the mice lived was.

Hook Hand came up to it first, and kneeling in front of the opening, he said, "Hey, is anyone in there?"

Rapunzel pushed some of her spiky hair out of her worried face and bent down, kneeling in front of the log as well, and peeked inside. "Hello? Is there anyone in there?"

"My goodness, Your Highness, how good to see you unscathed," Bianca said as she stepped out of the shadows, wearing a smile as she looked up at the princess. Rapunzel put her small hand out, palm up, and Bianca stepped slightly onto her hand. Rapunzel carefully brought her out of the log, holding her up for all to see.

"My goodness, is it cold out," Bianca said, shuddering to herself. She quickly turned to the worried faces of the princesses and said in a kind voice, "What can I do for you?"

"We . . . have a special favor to ask of you," Rapunzel said slowly. She gulped. She never was one to ask for much, and when she did, she got a bit nervous. She took a breath and said, "We need you to go spying in the castle again."

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the prison, it was very late, around eleven o'clock at night. There was a happening in the prisoners' cells. Jasmine, her hair pinned up and falling all over the place, was sitting on one of the beds that hung from the wall. Pocahontas was leaning over her, her quick hands picking through her hair. Jasmine had come up with the idea, and Pocahontas merely had to find a pin, unsure exactly how it was supposed to open a lock.

"You'd all make good thieves," Aladdin said, watching.

"That supposed to make us feel better?" Jasmine asked him a little sharply, though she quickly whispered a pained, "sorry."

John Smith walked quietly over to Pocahontas, who was intent on finding SOME sort of pin in Jasmine's hair. The look on her face was concentration, and she didn't talk as she worked. She looked worried. She made John Smith open his mouth several times, but not say a word.

He finally cleared his throat and said, "Did you find one yet?"

"I would have told you if I did," Pocahontas said, looking up to meet his eyes with her own brown ones. They shared a look, a quiet, pleading look between the two of them, before Pocahontas turned back and pulled out a pin. She dusted off the black hairs on it as Jasmine turned to see it.

"That's our way out?" Aurora asked from Phillip's arms, looking a little worried at the piece of metal.

"It'll work," Aladdin said, and he was given the pin and he quickly hurried to the door. Everyone started to gravitate toward it. Aladdin quietly whispered for them to back up, saying that guards might somehow notice if they all just went to the front of the cell. They all backed up, except for Eugene, who hadn't moved at all, the pain in his shoulder roaring like hell.

People from other cells, including the one right next to them, looked on ahead, hopeful. The Huns were only set up periodically around corners and near doors, with their swords and spears. They wouldn't notice until they got out.

Aladdin was easily able to pick the lock and with a satisfying _click_! he stepped back, and turning back, his black hair ruffled and his face excited, he said quietly, "C'mon."

Phillip turned to Eugene along with Naveen, who, with hands on his hips, clucked his tongue, saying, "Come on now, Eugene, it's time to get you back to your princess."

Eugene nodded grimly and turned the best he could, his shoulder rippling with a staggering pain, and he was sure that he had disturbed the wound as blood started to blot the faded, old blood spot on his shirt. He winced, but allowed Naveen and Phillip to catch his arms and tug him up, resting his arms on their shoulders.

Aladdin peeked out of the cell, looking wary in case any of the Huns decided to take a round around the prison. He noticed none and slowly opened the door, letting it creak and whine as quietly as he could. He held a finger to his lips to alert everyone to not speak a word. And he stepped out of the cell for the first time in nearly three days. He glanced back and beckoned for the others to move along as well, and then he quickly hurried to the other cell and started picking away at the lock.

The girls rushed out of their cell, looking fearfully as Naveen and Phillip helped Eugene out, John Smith taking up the rear next to Pocahontas.

"All right, we need to get weap-weapons from the Huns in order to get out of here," Eugene said, grunting as he tried to straight himself.

"Don't strain yourself," John Smith said.

"So we need to use the ol' element of surprise, eh?" Naveen said, a tad bit of a grin in his voice. "I like that."

Aladdin finished picking at the lock and out came the other princes and Snow White. He nodded toward them, and they all turned, saying to the girls to stay there while they procured some weapons. James took Naveen's place in holding up Eugene, whose pain was so overwhelming that he could barely stand. His heartbeat was fast and pounding in his ears. Only the pain was louder.

Aladdin took to start picking the other locks while the other stretched their legs and looked about the dark corridors, which were only lit by torches.

"Whatever happened to the palace guards?" Jasmine wondered aloud.

Eugene grimaced and then said in a would-be calm voice, "They were also soldiers. Probably all either dead or in the control of the villains."

Jasmine covered her mouth with her hand, and that was when there was a loud clanging coming from another part of the long prison. They all remained quiet, even those still in their cells and Aladdin, who stopped picking at the lock.

Around the corner came the Disney Princes, their hands holds swords and spears, Naveen saying cheerfully, "The element of surprise is definitely worth having on your side."

"Right," Aladdin said. He turned to Jasmine and said, "Do you have any more pins?"

"I'm-I'm sure I do," she said, and she started to run her hands through her thick and black hair.

"We need to leave a couple of people to pick the rest of the locks," Aladdin said, looking around.

"Leave some with weapons. Huns are bound to come around, see things, start fighting and killing," Eugene said before his jaw tightened and his eyes closed, a wave of pain flooding him.

"All right, let's do this, men," John Smith, and using his military skills and strong voice, he managed to separate them all into groups. Aladdin, Naveen, John Rolfe and Eric had pins, ready to pick at locks, while James and Phillip with Aurora as their lookout were to try to get out of the castle without the Huns finding them, Eugene between the two. The rest of the princesses were to go with the other princes and were going to see if they could find the villains.

"There's a closet, down the hall, under lock and key," Eugene said, "that's where the guards' extra weapons can be found."

"Good thing I have a pin to pick the lock, no?" Naveen said, holding up the pin to examine it in the dim light of the torches.

"We can lead freed prisoners over there to arm up when we're done," John Smith said, and Aladdin finished unlocking another cell door, and with a finger to his lips, he opened the whiny doors, allowing several creatures and characters to walk tentatively out of their cell.

"All right," John Rolfe said, and nodding toward some of the men stretching out of the just opened cell, said, "I'll take John Smith and Pocahontas to the supply closet."

"Me?" Pocahontas said, her voice sounding surprised as a hand went to her mouth, making her look like she wanted to but also didn't.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to," John Smith said, turning to her with a soft voice. She straightened at his words, though, and said, "I'll come. Let's go," and they followed her down the corridor Eugene pointed to before he started coughing horribly.

John Smith, dodging Pecos Bill, Ichabod Crane, Tweedledee and Twiddledum (who were both bouncing up and down in excitement), managed to make it up front where Pocahontas, hands by her sides, was striding purposely down the dark, dank, stone corridor.

"Pocahontas, Pocahontas," John Smith said as he came up to her. She did not look at him.

"I was not told that you were coming," Pocahontas finally said, her voice trembling ever-so-slightly before she cleared her throat.

"Wait, Rapunzel didn't tell you?" John Smith asked, sounding surprised and a little out of breath as he took quick, short steps to keep up with Pocahontas's quick stride, which was used to walking around the woods of Virginia.

"No, she didn't. None of the princesses did," Pocahontas said quietly.

John Smith stopped and put a hand on her shoulder, making her stop as well. He said in a calm, gentle voice, "I'm sorry you weren't told."

"I'll be fine," Pocahontas said, and she turned away.

"Are you sure?" John Smith asked, hurrying up once more.

"Yes. Haven't you heard?" Pocahontas said calmly as she rounded around a corner. John Smith quickly took the turn as well, and was nearly plowed down by King Richard, who, being a lion, took up quite a lot of space. He pushed past the corner as Pocahontas turned to him and said, "John Rolfe and I are engaged."

John Smith, while trying not to show how surprised and shocked he was, cleared his throat. Pocahontas looked back at him, her eyes soft and serene, looking firm and unperturbed as she said, "And what do you think?"

"Well, um, congratulations, to the both of you," John Smith said, and he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see John Rolfe, who had been talking with someone at the end of the line of people, pat him on the shoulder before going and standing next to Pocahontas.

"Thank you," he said. "We were going to tell everyone at the party, but that plan gave out."

"Oh, I see," John Smith said as Quasimodo passed him. The Tin Soldier went past them as well and to the supply closet, which, as Eugene had said, was locked. John Rolfe's pin was brought forward and was used to unlock the door. Audrey hurried forward and opened the doors, and started to shout out orders as she passed out weapons.

"So you're not angry?" Pocahontas asked over the commotion.

"Why? No, I'm not angry," John Smith said quickly.

"All right. We should get swords to defend ourselves with," John Rolfe said, and he turned and hurried to Audrey to get some weapons.

"When IS the wedding?" John Smith asked Pocahontas, scratching the back of his neck.

"In six moons," Pocahontas said. "When it is spring again."

"I see," John Smith said. He gulped and after a moment, was about to say something when he heard a mini, "Princess, Princess Pocahontas!"

He turned and Pocahontas drew closer to see two tiny mice running toward them. One was a girl, saying under her breath while she held onto her bonnet, "Goodness gracious!" She came up to Pocahontas and said, "Hello, I am Bianca. What is happening here?"

"We managed to escape the cells, and we're now waging on the castle," Pocahontas said quietly, her words fully hitting her. She sighed.

"It can't be helped," John Smith told her, trying to make her see their side of it.

"I suppose," Pocahontas said quietly.

"My goodness, now?" Bianca said, sounding ruffled as the other mouse, panting loudly, came up to her.

"What happened, Bianca?" he asked, his hands on his knees.

"Oh, Bernard, we're attacking the castle NOW!" Bianca said.

"We've-we've got to tell everyone at the Snuggly Duckling, then," Bernard said, standing up straight. "We need to go back for help."

"Would you go tell them and get them?" John Smith said, leaning down so he was closer to them. With his voice growing firmer, he said, "We're going to need a lot more people to take these villains down."

"Yes, yes, yes, of course," Bianca said. Turning to her husband, she patted him on the shoulder and said, "We've got to go back, Bernard, and we must hurry!"

Bernard took several deep breaths as he held up his index finger to say to wait for a moment, but Bianca was already moving back against the opposite crowd. Sighing, he nodded to Pocahontas and John Smith before he hurried out of their sight.

Pocahontas looked to John Smith as he straightened to his full height. "We're going to war against the villains, without Fairy Godmother, The Three Good Fairies or Mama Odie?" she asked.

"We're going to have to," John Smith said, sighing. He looked grim. "We're now at war."

**More action happening! I was going to finish and put up this chapter yesterday BUT THE CABLE WENT OUT BUT IT'S BACK AGAIN SO YES GOOD. God forgive me for using magic. Thank you for reading! God bless you!  
**


	24. Invading the Castle of Corona

**Thank you, God, for everything. **

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Tangled or any of the mentioned characters or movies in this fanfic. He-hey guys, missed me? *Is sheepish and ashamed* Thank you for reading! God bless you!**

Rapunzel, while looking terribly shaky and like she needed to sit down, didn't, but straightened at the news. The mice in Cinderella's hand, Bianca and Bernard, were both breathing heavily, while Bianca had calmed herself down enough to explain what was going on in the dungeons of Corona.

Hook Hand immediately called for arms, shouting to his pub buddies in a hearty, excited voice, "Get the secret stash!"

Tor and Atilla immediately shouted, "Secret stash!" and Vladimir went to a large wall of the Snuggly Duckling. Grappling a small knob hidden in the wood, he pulled it, and was instantly covered with a bunch of weapons, like swords and spears and maces.

Everyone was running about, going through the halls of the top floor and the stairs and rooms of the Snuggly Duckling. Some of the women, like Maid Marian and Nani, who was frantic, since Lilo was one of the little girls that the minions and Huns had captured, helped the children head upstairs, away from the turmoil and uproar happening in the bar of the Snuggly Duckling. Ariel went up after them, looking over to see Rapunzel with the other safe princesses and Meg.

"All right, see if we can fight them and take back the castle. A plan, I suppose, don't know if it'll work," Meg said as someone thrust a sword into her hand. She swung it around, causing the other princesses to step back as she leaned forward, the handle of the sword in both of her hands, a satisfied smirk on her face. One of her hands let go of it and she held it out in a battle stance, saying, "Well, I'm ready."

"Good, because we will need all the help we can get," Mulan said, her sword in her sash that was around her waist. All of their party dresses were torn and soiled, breaking and falling apart. And with an exception for the cold, nobody took notice.

Rapunzel looked around and caught sight of Daisy Duck and Minnie Mouse lighting torches that would be taken to light the way to the castle. They gave them to any and everyone, especially the Robinson clan, Franny leading them, all going a little crazy, especially Petunia Robinson, who was shouting nonsensical orders at everyone while her husband tried his best to calm her down, to no avail.

Hook Hand stood on top of the bar, making Rapunzel and the other princesses turn to look at him. He swung his arm in the air, waving a torch in his hook. In his other hand was a sword, and he roared, "All right, we're heading to the castle! We're going to take back the castle, save the princes and other captives, and defeat the villains once and for all!"

This was met by many cheers and pumped fists.

Hook Hand nodded and said in his regular voice, "Let's head out there."

"You coming, Rapunzel?" Cinderella asked worriedly, as Pascal scampered onto Rapunzel's good arm, looking worriedly at her arm.

"Yes. I want - I NEED to see Eugene, and find my parents, and Maximus," Rapunzel said, her voice brimming with worry. She hadn't any news of her parents at all during this whole thing, and she was worried about Eugene. She had just gotten news from the mice saying that he was hurt, badly. She wanted to sit in a chair and get her breath back, but they were leaving to take over the castle _right now_.

"Well, then you're going to need this," Cinderella said, and she held out a frying pan. Rapunzel let out a slight laugh as she took the heavy weight into her good hand, making it fall a bit. She gained a little control over it, though, and lifted it up, and looked up to Cinderella with a watery smile.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

Cinderella nodded, and turned when she saw that several people were moving slowly and angrily through the Snuggly Duckling front door.

"We should get going," Cinderella said, turning to Rapunzel.

Rapunzel frowned, and a determined look came onto her face. "Let's go," she said, and with that, Pascal looked grimmer and braver on her shoulder as they walked with the mob toward the castle.

* * *

Fully weaponized, all the prisoners ran through the castle, hurrying to face off the Huns and minions and shadows. The shadows all saw the shadows of the prisoners around the hall, and they whisked away sleekily down the halls, through the rooms and along the corridors toward the grand parlor, where all the villains were enjoying a lovely tea time.

Ursula looked distastefully at Gaston, who took the rest of the sugar cubes from the bowl and dumped them into his tea. She sighed and propped her head on her fist, saying, "Really? SOMEONE doesn't have manners."

"The only way to drink this stuff is with sugar," Gaston said, stirring his thick tea with a spoon.

"And iceeeeee," Dr. Facilier said, taking a delicate sip of his own iced tea.

Gothel and Maleficent sat across from each other in easy chairs, each stirring their steaming tea with elegance.

"And when shall we send more Huns to get the rest of the princesses?" Gothel asked, putting down her spoon.

"Tomorrow, when they can see the path in front of them. Though, ha ha, I don't believe they can do that in light away," Maleficent said maliciously. She shook her head and took a sip of tea before looking to Shan Yu, who was having his tea in an intricately decorated Chinese teacup with no handle, "I really don't know where he found such minions."

"Well, at least they're dumb. That's a plus," Gothel said, smirking, her head bent.

"True. Easier to control that way," Maleficent said with a nod.

Gothel smiled and that was when the door to the parlor burst open, allowing shadows to hurry to the villains and point behind them. The villains instantly looked from their tea to the halls; there was shouts and great noises, like breaking glass and sword fighting and general screaming.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Governor Ratcliffe immediately demanded, standing up and straightening his jacket, his eyes never leaving the halls.

"I have a feeling we're being attacked," Shan Yu said, straightening in his seat. "We should go."

"The prisoners? Really!" Gothel said huffily as the other villains all stood up. She got up as well, and hurried across the room as the others each went to get their own weapons.

On a hook, near the door, was her cape, and she slid her hand in and brought it out, her fingers surrounding the cold hold of her dagger's hilt. She smirked to herself as she brought it out, slipping on her cape and hiding her black curls in her hood. She said to herself, "Well, it's a good thing I always have my dagger ready."

* * *

The village was dirty. Broken. Smoking. Some of it was still on fire. Rapunzel nearly started to sob as she overlooked her beloved capital city. Instead, tears stung at her eyes, and she put an arm to her mouth to repress whatever sobs were coming up in her throat.

They were walking through, an angry mob, and Belle said, sounding worried, "Why, they sang something like this, when the villagers in France were trying to storm Beast - Adam's castle!"

"A mob song," Mulan said, her voice calm and serious. She was good in battle, and looked the most concentrated and prepared as she walked ahead of her group of princesses and Meg.

The castle looked dark, except for the bottom, where bright lights and shouts came pouring in. The princesses looked worried but determined as they made their way up through the crowd toward Hook Hand with the Pub Thugs and Kronk.

"All right," Kronk said, turning to everyone once they were near enough without being discovered. "Let's try to keep this clean, fight fair, no using teeth, unless you're an animal, then, by all means, go ahead."

"Let's take back the castle!" Hook Hand roared, and they all charged ahead, weapons in hand.

Rapunzel pulled a brave face and hurried after Hook Hand, making Cinderella call, "Rapunzel! Where are you going?"

"To find Eugene," Rapunzel yelled over her shoulder. She turned back and pumped her arms, her bandaged one barely hurting her as she ran on adrenaline. Pascal clung desperately to her shoulder, his tail and lower body flying in the air. She caught up to Hook Hand, who said, "Princess!"

"Hook Hand," she said. "Where are we heading?"

"To the stables. There's an entrance there, remember?" Hook Hand said.

Rapunzel nodded, and turning to look at the ground, couldn't help but whisper, "Maximus."

* * *

"We need to find a safe spot to put you," Phillip said, Eugene still slumped on his arm. James nodded, and Eugene gritted his teeth. The four of them, Aurora ahead of them, looking around a corner as their lookout, were in one of the many long corridors of the castle. They were set on getting Eugene out of the castle. He was just unable to defend himself, with what pain he was in and what infection might be seeping into his flesh.

James looked ahead and called quietly, urgently, "Aurora, is it clear?"

Aurora peeked around the corner, her delicate hands holding onto the wall. Her dress was in tatters and her hair miffed, but she had a concentrated look on her face as she look. There was no shadows or Huns, or even any of those pig-like creatures. She turned back to the boys and said, "It's clear."

"All right. You sure this hall will lead us to the stables?" Phillip asked Eugene.

Eugene winced, cursing under his breath, but said, "Solemnly swear."

They hurried down the hall, and toward one of the doors. Aurora reached out to grab the bronze doorknob, her fingers delicately reaching out, when they heard a loud sound from behind the door.

"What's that?" Aurora said, instantly taking her hand from reaching the knob to her other hand, looking as if she was burned. She looked to James and Phillip, who were both looking worried and biting their lips.

"Sounds like something evil," Phillip said. He turned to James, who leaned under Eugene's weight. "James. I need you to do something."

"What?" he said quickly.

"You need to go through the halls and get us swords," Phillip said. "This is the only way out of here without going through the halls, and those halls are filled with villains."

"That sounds promising," James said cheerfully, but he helped Phillip lower Eugene around a corner, carefully getting his shoulder out from under him, and said, straightening, "I'll see what I can do."

"Hurry, go," Phillip said, pointing to where they had come from. James nodded and hurried away, running around the corner.

Eugene let out a hissy gasp, his hand clutching his shoulder. Aurora kneeled next to him while Phillip stood up, a concerned look on his face.

"Are you all right?" Aurora asked. "Oh, that is a rather stupid question, isn't it?"

"A bit, yeah," Eugene said bitingly. He leaned against the wall, and that was when there was a clambering sound behind the back door. All three of them looked to it, all silently hoping,_ praying_,_ wanting _it to be some help. Or for the villainous creatures out there to stay put until James came back with swords.

Phillip was feeling uneasy, with Eugene silently gritting his teeth, trying to not let on how his shoulder was searing and there was fresh blood coming through the scab that had tried to grow over it, protect it. Phillip was just about to go after James himself and wrest some sword from someone's hand, when from around the corner came two figures, making them all jump.

"Cinderella? GASTON!" Aurora said, her voice shocked and fast.

"No, no!" the woman said. She was in a dirty pink dress, and her male companion was in mucky clothes too. "I'm Katrina Van Tassel, and this is Brom Bones."

Brom Bones nodded, and Phillip let a breath over take him, as he felt winded and like they were seriously going to have been found by the minions of the villains.

That was when there was an even greater noise behind the door leading to the stables, and everyone froze.

The door fell down in a pile of dust, and Hook Hand, torch in his hook hand and sword in his one good hand, looked about wildly, saying, "Well, looks like we found you, Your Highness."

No one needed to say anything to know that he was talking to Eugene, who looked up.

"Eugene? He's in there? Eugene!?" That was _her_ voice. Eugene straightened against the wall, his head tilting up, his heart pounding. His shoulder throbbed and he had a headache but _that was her voice. And those were her hands on Hook Hand's shoulder._

"Rapunzel?" he said, almost uncertain. She had made it in?

"Eugene!" Her voice sounded victorious, and tearful, and excited as Hook Hand moved out of the way, and she ran to her husband, bright tears shining in her eyes. Just the sight of her somehow made the pain in his shoulder less defining as she kneeled next to him, hastily moving the hair out of his face, crying his name, her voice almost choking.

"What happened to you?" she said, her voice ridden with angst.

"Blade to the shoulder," he said, wincing as he tried sitting up more.

"Oh no," she whispered. "Does it hurt too much? Oh, there's got to be something I can do-"

"Rapunzel," Eugene said loudly.

"Oh, yes," she said, looking to his face.

He smiled, and she smiled softly, and stroked the hair from his face as he said, "You're here, and that's all I need."

"Oh, Eugene," Rapunzel whispered before the tears started to stream down her face.

**Thank you for reading! God bless you!**


	25. A Fight Could be Evaded

**Thank you, God, for everything.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Tangled or any of the mentioned movies or characters in this fic. WE'RE GETTING CLOSE TO THE END. This has been a long story, in regard to word count and time it takes me to write it, huh? XD **

**Quick recap: People (and creatures somewhat resembling people) from the Snuggly Duckling are heading to invade the castle of Corona to take it back from the ten Disney Princess villains, who are now alert of the invasion. The remaining magical creatures who were not captured by the villains are off to rescue Fairy Godmother, the Three Good Fairies and Mama Odie. The prisoners in Corona, including all the Disney Princes and a few of the Disney Princesses, are leading the inward invasion of the castle with the other imprisoned, now freed, party guests.  
**

**Thanks for reading!**

The villains passed into the halls, which were nearly overrun by their minions bearing weapons, all hurrying to get ready for battle around the large ballroom.

"I have a feeling of nostalgia," Lady Tremaine said. "Getting back into battle with the miscreants. Back into the ballroom."

"Yes, a feeling of nostalgia thrice over," Maleficent said sweetly, her black cloak sweeping against the ground as she walked on, an evil grin on her delighted face. It seemed that she was entirely happy with this turn of events. Perhaps so. She was intent on getting the ten Disney Princesses, especially Aurora.

Getting back at the Disney Princes was a priority as well, especially Prince Philip. Maleficent's grip on her scepter tightened. That conniving little Prince Charming had managed to break the spell and send a sword through her, sending her plan into ruins. He and the Three Good Fairies had brought her down, and she was not going to go down by their hands more than once. She resented now even that once.

"Do you think they were stupid enough to bring the precious princesses with them into battle?" Dr. Facilier said lightly as he carried on at his own pace, using a cane to complete his look.

"Of course. Mulan brought nearly my entire army down in one single battle. She is not to be underestimated," Shan Yu said, looking back to the Shadow Man.

"Let's count on it," Gaston said. He cracked his knuckles and said, "I'm ready for negotiating."

Because nobody is as intimidating in negotiating as Gaston.

* * *

"We-we need to get someone to take care of your wound," Rapunzel said hurriedly, looking from Eugene to Philip with a worried look. "Where is a doctor? Do you have one here?"

"No. Isn't Esmeralda or Doctor Sweet with you, though?" Philip wondered.

Rapunzel's eyes lit up. "Yes, yes. We need to find them. We need to get Eugene to a room."

"We need one that the villains know nothing about," Aurora pointed out.

Rapunzel smiled. She looked more happy than she had been since this entire mess started. "I know just the place."

Eugene grunted, the swearing pain running through his shoulder. "Blondie, please don't say the tower."

* * *

John Smith set his jaw as he came around one of the corners of the prison. He, John Rolfe and Pocahontas had finished unlocking all the cells, except for those with actual Coronaian criminals who begged for release from their cells, sending a merry, cheering group of Disney creatures through the castle. He could have sworn that Kida _glowed _when she was given a weapon to get back at the villains.

Here he was now, trying to not be trampled, Mr. Cluck, Jim, Fat, Preacher, Straw Hat, and Glasses Crow over his head, offering sarcastic comments as he walked around Arthur and Peter, who were brandishing weapons with the others. He should tell them to not join them in the fight, that they were too young, but would they listen?

He made his way back to the front, his mind spinning when he caught sight of John Rolfe and Pocahontas hurrying along together. Pocahontas wasn't brandishing a weapon at all, but rather holding her torn skirts away from her the best she could before she gave up and just ran, ran like she did in the woods of Virginia. And John Rolfe hurried after her, a happy smile on his face, as if he was enjoying this adventure they were on together.

It was the smile that hurt John Smith the most. He had had one just like it when he was with Pocahontas. But he had lost her, and what for? Because he was in England and she lived in America? When does distance separate a person like that? Hadn't he said he could have lived for so many lifetimes and still have her? Maybe he didn't. He should have, and he might have her and not have her engaged to someone not him, even if he had his Christian name.

He strode up to their sides and said, holding a sword in his hand, "Where are we going?"

"We're heading to see if we can find the villains," Pocahontas said.

"Though we'll probably get caught and have to fight against the villains' minions," John Rolfe pointed out as they came to the end of the jail. Both Johns hurried to the door and after unlocking it, shoved it open with their shoulders, allowing the flow of prisoners to stream out of the jail and toward the castle's interior.

Minions and shadows and Huns were already in the yard near the jail, and the Huns let out a mighty cry as they charged against the prisoners. There was the instant sound of metal against metal as swords fought against each other. Torches were thrown at the shadows, making them hiss in horror at their black remains.

John Smith got caught up in a duel against a Hun, and John Rolfe neatly defeated two minions with a sweep of his weapon.

"Oh, it's good to be back in the mix of things again. I was getting bored in that cell," John Smith said nonchalantly as he hit the Hun's sword. He looked behind him toward John Rolfe and said, "Get Pocahontas inside and find the villains. I'll carry on out here."

"Be careful," Pocahontas said as John Rolfe grasped her arm.

John Smith nodded as he turned back to the Hun. "Don't worry. I'll be fine. It's not like anyone has any guns or pistols around here."

* * *

The Snuggly Duckling Disney guests were rushing into the castle, surrounding the entirety of the large building and using their weapons, ranging from swords to pistols to frying pans, to get at the minions and Huns guarding the doors.

Kronk, unsurprisingly, was the leader. He always was a bit of a leader, and he was at the front large doors now, encouraging and cheering on, almost pleasantly, as several of the guests took a large piece of burnt building and pushed it against the doors, trying to make them open.

"Come on, work together, you all can do it. I believe you can, c'mon, Aracuan Bird, let's not slack now. Take it up just a tiny notch there, Mad Hatter. Don't worry, I'll make you some tea and cakes once this is all done," Kronk said, and with a final sounding grunt, the doors were ripped open, their pieces of broken wood falling every which way. "There we go," Kronk said approvingly before he was swept into the castle by the wave of guests trying to get in.

He straightened and stood in the front, taking up a sword that Alice shoved into his hands, thanking her kindly, and turning to the throngs that came through with him, said, "All right, here's the plan. I want you all to play fair, play cleanly, and I want you all to play your best."

"And win!" The Lost Boys cheered as they waved their weapons.

Kronk stooped to their level and said, "Well, winning's good and all, but really, doing your best is what counts."

"So you're saying you don't want us to win?" the orange rabbit said.

"And you want the villains to-" one of the twins said.

"-instead?" the other twin said, just as his twin's club fell on his head.

Kronk straightened, looking thoughtful. "Huh. I suppose you're right. All right, play to win, everyone, okay?"

Everyone cheered, but then stopped. Kronk frowned and said, "What? Did I say something that was offensive?" They pointed behind him. He slowly turned to see a wide wall of minions, all green and dark and grinning under their hoods, looking ugly and evil. There was Huns, all pounding their weapons against the palms of their hands. The shadows all chuckled as they slunk along the walls. And, in front of them, looking ready to lead into battle their soldiers, was the ten Disney villains, all grinning smugly, all looking perfectly evil and ready to win.

"Surprise!" Maleficent said, flinging out her arms, the sleeves of her cloak waving in the air. "We decided to crash your coming home party. I'm known for that, you know, for no one seems to invite me. I blame it on forgetful memories."

Kronk cleared his throat and stepped forward, saying, "Now, sir-"

"Ma'am," Maleficent said very sharply.

"Oh, dear. Awkward. Now, ma'am-" Kronk started again, but Mother Gothel stepped forward.

"There is . . . no need to kill you all. There is no need for bloodshed. We just want ten persons. Just ten girls. Ten little girls." Mother Gothel looked around the entire ballroom, which was filled with creatures and people and animals, and said in a louder, harsher, calmer voice, "Give us the ten Disney Princesses, and we all shall leave. We shall leave with our soldiers and leave Corona and all your lands alone. Give us the Disney Princesses, and none shall be harmed."

"Yes, but what about them?" Minnie Mouse said, stepping forward. She looked indignantly. "What are you going to do with the Disney Princesses?"

"Keep them forever. Watch their 'happily ever afters' wash away, like ours did," Lady Tremaine said, her voice calm and cold as she stood straight, her hands clasped on top of her cane.

"That's horrible," Minnie said.

"As is everything that ever happened to us. Go, send scouts, and fetch the Disney Princesses. Bring them here, and have _them_ decide their fate," Dr. Facilier. He grinned an evil, toothy grin, sweeping his cane. "And I suggest you hurry."

* * *

Doctor Sweet was sent down the halls, and he met with Brom Bones, who barely listened to what he said as he brought him to where Aurora, Rapunzel, Philip, Hook Hand, Katrina, and Eugene were hidden away in a frying pan closet.

"Oh, good," Rapunzel said eagerly, getting to her feet, wearing a bright smile. "Doctor, I need you to see Eugene's shoulder-"

"Rapunzel," Dr. Sweet said.

Rapunzel stood still, and said, her voice quietly alarmed, "What is it?"

"It's with you, and Aurora," Dr. Sweet said slowly, looking to Aurora, who had paled. "The Disney Villains want the Disney Princesses or else they will attack the entire castle, fighting with all the guests."

Rapunzel paled, and she felt like sinking. She put both hands against the walls. She gulped and looked back to Dr. Sweet, who said, "They're forcing us to take the Disney Princesses to the ballroom to decide."

"Rapunzel!" Eugene said quickly, reaching to grab her hand. She looked startled as she grasped his hand.

"Now," Dr. Sweet said, looking worried but firm.

"What are we going to do?" Aurora said as Philip held her in his arms.

Rapunzel thought a moment, her mind whirling, and then she set her jaw and said determinedly, "We're going."

"What? Rapunzel!" Eugene said, still urgent.

Rapunzel turned to him and said, "Eugene, please. Let Dr. Sweet see to your wound. I need to go." She gave him a quick kiss, one that gave her strength and loss of resolve. She straightened, though, ignored his protests, and headed out the door. Aurora followed her, and they fell into step, though they each let a tear fall down their cheeks as they walked on.

**Yes. Angst. A bit. Should I NOW put this in the Disney/Tangled crossover section? Tell me in your reviews! Thanks for reading! God bless you!**


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